DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA -- GE Aviation's Durham location has expanded its workforce by about 40 new hourly jobs this year and anticipates adding additional jobs at the facility next year to handle the increasing volume at the aircraft engines manufacturing and services facility. Beyond the new jobs, the facility has also invested more than $8 million in plant improvements and equipment.
"GE Aviation's Durham location has grown from 275 employees last year to about 320 employees in 2010," said Doug McLean, plant manager of the GE Aviation Durham facility. "The expanded workforce and the $8 million investment in the facility and equipment will enable us to manage the growing production volume of GE's new fuel-efficient GEnx engine for the Boeing 787 and 747-8 aircraft along with the increased production for GE90, CFM56*, GP7200** and CF34 engine lines."
About 320 employees work at the Durham location, which is located on 500 acres with 500,000 square feet of floor space. The facility was built in 1972 to produce steam turbine engines for GE's Energy business. GE Aviation's Durham facility began operating out of the site in 1993 and shipped its first GE90 engine in 1994. Since that time, the site has shipped more than 1,000 GE90 engines and expanded to produce other engine lines. Last year, the site began overhauling GE90 engines. It will expand its services capabilities to the GEnx engine when it enters service next year.
GE Aviation operates four facilities in North Carolina, including the Durham facility. The West Jefferson and Wilmington facilities produce rotating parts for aircraft engines. GE Unison in Asheville produces precision machined rotating and non-rotating components for jet engines.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet and turboprop engines, components and integrated systems for commercial, military, business and general aviation aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.
*CFM56 is are a product of CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE.
**The GP7200 engine is a product of the Engine Alliance, a 50/50 joint venture of General Electric (NYSE:GE) and Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE:UTX).