AUBURN, Ala. (EETV)- Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Wednesday that Auburn's General Electric plant will be expanding, bringing with it 60 new jobs.
The $50 million dollar expansion will be to build upon the additive manufacturing operation at its Auburn facility, the aerospace industry’s first site to mass produce a jet engine component using 3-D printing technologies. The plant currently employs over 200 people.
“GE Aviation is at the leading edge of advanced aerospace additive manufacturing, and the company’s expansion plans at the Auburn facility will strengthen its technology leadership position,” Governor Ivey said. “We look forward to seeing where the great partnership between Alabama and GE Aviation will take us both in an exciting future.”
GE has already invested well over $100 million in the landmark Auburn site, which in 2015 began producing a fuel nozzle tip using additive technologies. Last October, the Auburn manufacturing team celebrated production of the 30,000th 3-D printed fuel nozzle tip for the LEAP jet engine.
In addition to the Auburn site, GE Aviation in 2018 opened a $200 million factory complex in Huntsville that is the first U.S. production center for unique materials used to manufacture ceramic matrix composites. Their ultra-lightweight properties, along with their ability to withstand extremely high temperatures, make CMCs ideal for applications in jet engines and wind turbines.
