GE Aerospace says it plans to invest $16 million this year at its jet engine factory in Hooksett, where it employs 800 workers.
The announcement comes as part of the company’s plan to invest nearly $1 billion in its U.S. factories and supply chain, GE Aerospace announced last week.
“Hooksett plays a big role in producing some of the most important parts that require high quality and precision in our narrow body CFM LEAP engine,” said Matthew Lehner, a GE spokesman. “We anticipate that deliveries of this engine will increase 15-20 percent this year.
The site also manufacturers components that go into fighter jet engines and military helicopter engines.
The $16 million the company plans to spend on Hooksett will go support those programs.
“The investments this year will go toward several new machines used for shaping complex metal parts, upgrading existing equipment, and specialized tooling. Some facility upgrades are also planned,” Lehner said Thursday.
This nearly $1 billion investment companywide is nearly double last year’s commitment, GE Aerospace said, and “will help increase engine safety, quality, and delivery, benefitting more than two dozen communities across 16 states.”
The company said it plans to hire 5,000 workers across the country this year, including new hires in Hooksett. Last year, GE Aerospace hired more than 900 engineers and 1,000 new manufacturing workers and donated $2.3 million to more than a dozen communities to support workforce development skills training.
James Florio, site leader for GE Aerospace in Hooksett, said the facility remains an important one for GE.
“Hooksett has been a vital part of aerospace manufacturing in the United States for over 50 years, and this investment will help it maintain its place in the community for many years to come,” Florio said in a statement.
GE Aerospace plans to spend $500 million to expand capacity and strengthen quality and delivery. Investments include $200 million in military engine production for sites in Lynn, Mass., and Madisonville, Kentucky for the new T901 Black Hawk and Apache helicopter engine and to continue producing other military engines.
Other investments include more than $100 million to scale up the production of innovative parts made from new materials, and more than $100 million for the company’s external supplier base.
Engines made by GE Aerospace and its joint venture partners power three out of every four commercial flights around the world and two of three U.S. military combat and helicopter aircraft, according to the company.
