GE Aerospace Invests Sizably in Ohio

GE Aerospace is investing $650 million in its manufacturing sites and supplier partners this year to increase production and strengthen its support of its commercial and defense customers, the company reports.

The breakdown of the investment includes $19.9 million at Dayton, OH, area sites and more than $127.3 million across sites in Ohio, company officials confirmed.

“This investment ensures that GE Aerospace Dayton will continue to play a starring role as we reinvent the future of flight, helping us meet growing demand from our customers today while building a strong future as GE Aerospace becomes an independent, standalone company,” Brian De Bruin, site leader for GE Aerospace's Beavercreek, OH, manufacturing facility, said in a statement.

GE Aerospace builds jet engines, components and systems for commercial and military aircraft with a global service network to support these offerings. GE Aerospace and its joint ventures have an installed more than 44,000 commercial and 26,000 military aircraft engines.

Approximately 1,400 GE employees work in Dayton-area facilities, including the Beavercreek site, EPISCenter on the University of Dayton campus, and Vandalia, OH.

The company and its partner engines power three out of every four commercial flights around the world and two-thirds of U.S. military aircraft.

“As GE Aerospace prepares to become a standalone company this spring, we are making significant investments in the future of flight and in the dozens of communities and supplier partners helping us build it,” H. Lawrence Culp Jr., chairman and CEO of GE and CEO of GE Aerospace, said in a statement. “These investments are part of the next chapter for GE Aerospace, supporting cutting-edge equipment and safety enhancements that will help us meet our customers' growing needs.”

The 2024 investment plan encompasses nearly $450 million designated toward new machines, inspection equipment, building upgrades, and new test cells and safety enhancements at 22 GE Aerospace facilities across 14 states. An additional $100 million will target supplier partners based in the United States.

Among the investments nationally is $107 million to facilities in the greater Cincinnati area. More additive manufacturing machines, new tooling and equipment, and modernization and upgrades to test cells will allow the company to increase production capacity of engines used in commercial aircraft and in U.S. and allied military helicopter and fighter jets.

Specifically, $18.2 million will be designated for West Chester facilities for new additive manufacturing machines, new tooling and equipment to support production of widebody aircraft engines and military helicopter engines.

The investment is intended to bolster the company's U.S. supply chain, helping suppliers build and maintain capacity and capabilities needed for sustained growth, according to GE Aerospace. Suppliers provide materials such as castings and forgings, plus some early-stage parts for commercial and military engines.

In addition to the investments, GE Aerospace is hiring more than 1,000 employees for open external positions at its U.S. factories.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.