State, local and company officials met Nov. 14 to break ground on GE Aviation's new 170,000-square-foot Asheville facility, which is being built next to the company’s current machining plant in South Asheville. It will be the first in the world to mass-produce engine components made of advanced ceramic matrix composite materials.
GE will begin hiring at the new plant in 2014 and expects to employ 340 people at full capacity. The company currently employs 290 local workers.
Gov. Pat McCrory drove in from Raleigh for the groundbreaking ceremony. “The aviation sector is an important industry for our state, and GE continues to put North Carolina on a national and international stage with its investment,” he told attendees. “We're proud that these advanced engine components will be manufactured right here in Asheville.”
In the complex deal to lure the company to expand local operations, Buncombe County agreed to spend $15.7 million on land acquisition and facility construction, and give the company an additional $2.68 million in cash grants. The city of Asheville approved giving the GE Aviation $1.5 million in tax breaks.
GE Aviation, a division of General Electric Company, is the world's leading manufacturer of commercial and military jet engines and components as well as integrated digital, electric power and mechanical systems for aircraft.
