GE Aviation will invest S$42 million in a new facility located in Singapore to manufacture components for its GE9X engine that will power Boeing's 777X aircraft. This facility will expand GE Aviation's presence in the country where the company operates a sizable aircraft engine component repair facility.
The new 50,000 square foot facility will be located at the Seletar Aerospace Park and produce high pressure compressor (HPC) vanes. The facility is expected to open in late 2018 with an initial workforce of 20 employees and could grow to employ about 100 skilled technicians and engineers by 2020. This facility will grow GE Aviation's workforce in Singapore beyond the 1,800 employees currently employed at the engine component repair facilities located at Loyang Industrial Park.
"The GE9X engine that will power the Boeing 777X aircraft incorporates the most advanced technologies," said Ted Ingling, general manager of the GE9X program at GE Aviation. "With more than 700 engines sold to date, the manufacturing of components for the GE9X engine is a critical part of our production process, and this facility will play a key role."
"We are delighted to welcome GE Aviation's smart factory for engine components to Singapore," said Alvin Tan, ACEO, JTC. "GE Aviation adds to our vibrant community at Seletar Aerospace Park, which is now home to the top three aero-engine manufacturers in the world and a growing ecosystem of local suppliers. This smart factory is also a good example of how Seletar Aerospace Park is an ideal location for companies to undertake digital manufacturing, leveraging our plug and play infrastructure."
"GE Aviation's new component manufacturing facility for the GE9X engine bears testament to Singapore's standing as a prime location in Asia Pacific for high value-added aerospace manufacturing," said Mr Lim Kok Kiang, Assistant Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board. "I am heartened that our deepening partnership with GE Aviation will result in a new best-in-class facility that incorporates digital and automation technologies, which is closely aligned with Singapore's push for advanced manufacturing."
The manufacturing facility will incorporate ideas and concepts from GE Aviation's Singapore component repair facility, which is known for its high-volume repair services and outstanding performance. A key feature of the new facility will be the introduction of Digital and Lean manufacturing that will make it a smart factory.
The 100,000-pound thrust class GE9X engine will have the largest front fan at 134 inches in diameter with a composite fan case and 16 fourth-generation carbon fiber composite fan blades. Other key features include: a next-generation 27:1 pressure-ratio 11-stage high-pressure compressor; a third-generation TAPS III combustor for high efficiency and low emissions; CMC material in the combustor and turbine and the most efficient low-pressure turbine GE has ever built.
Almost 700 GE9X engines are on order.