Cincinnati-based GE Aerospace will expand its West Jefferson manufacturing site with a $52.9 million investment expected to create 44 jobs over the next three years.
The new jobs will have an average pay of $52,127, about 11.25% better than the current Ashe County average wage of $46,855. GE Aerospace has had a manufacturing site in West Jefferson since 2007. The company employs about 2,000 workers in North Carolina, spread out over five locations. Other sites are in Durham, Wilmington and two in Asheville.
GE Aerospace will increase the West Jefferson facility by 35,000 square feet to boost capacity for narrowbody aircraft engines.
“West Jefferson will now have an even bigger role to play in building the future of flight for GE Aerospace. This expansion is good news for the community, and it is good news for our customers, who are eager to have our engines power their aircraft,” said Dylan Gerding, the GE Aerospace site leader for West Jefferson.
A grant of $100,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will support the company’s expansion efforts. Ashe County, Ashe County Job Development and the town of West Jefferson will contribute an additional $1 million in grants. The town has a population of about 1,300, while Ashe County is in the 26,000 range.
GE Aerospace employs about 53,000 workers, including approximately 26,900 in the U.S. The company had about $38.7 billion in revenue last year and has a market capitalization of $308.8 billion.
GE Aerospace and its technology power three of every four commercial flights and two of three U.S. military combat aircraft and helicopters. The West Jefferson site produces parts used in so-called CFM LEAP engines; CFM is a joint venture of GE and France’s Safran Aircraft Engines.
The expansion will support hiring for roles including apprentice machinists, inspectors and engineers. GE Aerospace has a decade-long partnership with Wilkes Community College and the state’s NC Edge program that provides advanced training preparing local individuals with the skills they need to work at GE Aerospace, according to the company.
In March, GE Aerospace announced it planned to invest $101 million at its North Carolina facilities. Those investments include:
- $52 million in Wilmington to upgrade equipment and expand capacity. The site produces components for engines used in narrowbody and widebody aircraft, along with military fighter jets and ships.
- $20 million in Asheville for additional equipment to produce ceramic matrix composite engine parts, new inspection equipment and advanced machines that can shape metal parts to precise specifications.
- $16 million in Durham for additional equipment to support the assembly of commercial engines, including CFM International’s LEAP, the engine of choice to power the Airbus A320neo, the Boeing 737 MAX and the COMAC C919, delivering a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency, along with significant reductions in noise and emissions signatures.