DURHAM, NC - GE Aviation's Durham team of 370 employees celebrated the facility's 20th anniversary with a ceremony and luncheon on April 10. The facility has shipped more than 14,000 engines and cores since opening its doors in 1993.
"Over the last two decades, the Durham site has expanded from 90 to 370 employees as our production levels have grown," said Mike Wagner, plant leader for the GE Aviation Durham site. "The list of accomplishments is a testament to the outstanding team we have at Durham, and I'm proud to be a part of it."
GE's history in Durham dates back to 1967 when the company purchased 710 acres of land. From 1973 to 1985, the facility manufactured steam turbines. After sitting vacant for five years, GE hired more than 90 employees to begin production on blades and vanes. After years of uncertainty, a plan was unveiled in 1991 to make the property home to a brand new jet engine, the GE90. The following year, construction began, and the Durham Engine Facility was opened for business in March 1993.
The Durham facility contributes to nine engine lines for GE and its joint venture partners. The engines are: GE90, GEnx, CF34-8, CF34-10, CFM56-7B, Engine cores for CFM56-5B and GP7200, along with Subs for CF6 and M&I engines.
GE Aviation's production rates are expected to grow from 3,500 commercial and military engine deliveries in 2012 to more 4,000 deliveries in 2013. This increase has ramped up work at the Durham facility, and it is expected to continue into the future based on a record backlog.
Durham milestones during the last twenty years include:
1994: First engine, a CF6-80C2, shipped. The same year, the first GE90 engine shipped.
1999: First CFM56 & CF34 engine shipped.
2002: First GE90-115B, the world's most powerful commercial engine, shipped.
2004: First GP7200 engine core shipped.
2007: First GEnx engine shipped.
2009: 1,000th GE90 shipped.
2010: GE Aviation invests $8 million in plant improvements and equipment.
2011: Seven acres solar field unveiled.
Durham is one of four GE Aviation facilities across North Carolina, employing more than 1,400 across the state.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE, is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings.