GE Aerospace plans to invest more than US$1 billion over five years in its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and component repair facilities worldwide.
These investments will help GE Aerospace create capacity to meet growth in both the widebody and narrow-body installed base by adding additional engine test cells and equipment. The funding will also add cutting-edge technology, including enhanced inspection techniques, to reduce turnaround times for customers and expand component repair capability within its overhaul shops.
The largest portion of the investment will support growing demand for CFM LEAP engines as the fleet continues to mature and expand, with more than 3,300 LEAP-powered aircraft in service and more than 10,000 additional engines currently in backlog, increasing the global commercial airline fleet by thousands of planes in the coming years.
Many of these investments are being made as a result of employees working to improve safety, quality, delivery, and cost through FLIGHT DECK, GE Aerospace's proprietary lean operating model – a systematic approach to running the business to deliver exceptional value as measured through the eyes of customers.
A major part of the MRO funding this year provides for the construction of a new Services Technology Acceleration Center (STAC) near Cincinnati, Ohio. Opening in September 2024, STAC will help accelerate the deployment of innovative services approaches, including inspection technologies that detect emerging issues sooner and reduce airplane downtime for customers.
In total, GE Aerospace regional repair and overhaul facilities across the globe will receive US$250 million in 2024 of the US$1 billion planned five-year investment to help fund facilities expansion, new machines, tooling, and safety enhancements. This includes:
United States: ~US$65M (Cincinnati, Ohio; McAllen, Texas; Lafayette, Indiana; Dallas, Texas; Winfield, Kansas)
South America: ~US$55M (Petropolis, Brazil)
Europe and Middle East: ~US$60M (Budapest, Hungary; Prestwick, Scotland; London, England; Cardiff, Wales; Wroclaw, Poland; Doha, Qatar; Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
Asia Pacific: ~US$45M (Singapore; Taipei, Taiwan; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Seoul, South Korea)
GE Aerospace's MRO facilities keep more than 40,000 commercial aircraft engines flying. Customer services include engine disassembly and reassembly, maintenance, repair and inspection, as well as testing.
