GE Aviation, a leading producer of jet engines, already employs more than 450 people at a factory near Batesville in northwest Mississippi, which opened in 2008. This factory is involved in the assembly of large front fans for jet engines as well as the production of composite components.
With the opening of Ellisville, GE Aviation will add up to 40 jobs in 2013, and it expects to reach 250 employees in Ellisville by 2017.
Composites manufacture
Ellisville employees are being trained in team-building and advanced manufacturing processes, with assistance from the Mississippi Polymer Institute at The University of Southern Mississippi and The Advanced Technology Center at Jones County Junior College. The plant delivers its first components in 2013.
The facility will produce composite parts for two new engine programmes:
- the LEAP™ jet engine being developed by CFM, a joint company of GE and Snecma (SAFRAN) of France; and
- GE's new Passport™ jet engine.
Ellisville will manufacture fan platforms (installed between the engine's front fan blades) for the LEAP-1A and the LEAP-1C, which will power Airbus's A320neo and COMAC'S C919 respectively. To date, CFM has logged orders for more than 4,500 LEAP engines, which will ensure a stable workload at Ellisville for years to come.
Ellisville will also manufacture the inlet for the Passport engine which was selected by Bombardier to power the Global 7000 and Global 8000 business jets.
In addition to jet engine components, Ellisville will manufacture the transcowl, a component of the thrust reverser, which is located in the rear of the nacelle for Airbus's A320neo.
The Ellisville plant is also expected to produce other composite components in the future for GE's newest commercial jet engines and aircraft systems.
GE Aviation generated revenues of $20 billion in 2012. It employs approximately 40,000 people and operates more than 80 facilities around the world.
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