GE Aerospace to Establish ‘Smart Factory’ at Singapore Aircraft Engine Repair Facility

SINGAPORE. GE Aerospace announced on February 21 that, it is investing USD$11 million (SGD$15M) to transform its Singapore aircraft engine repair facility into a state-of-the-art ‘Smart Factory’ that will revolutionize engine repair and expand workforce skills to support the new technologies.

In partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), GE Aerospace will introduce cutting-edge technologies and processes at the company’s operations at Seletar Aerospace Park to meet surging growth in component demand while maintaining high quality. Once completed, the new technologies will also be leveraged to two plants at Loyang Industrial Park.

“Our Smart Factory investment represents the next chapter in our longstanding partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board,” said Russell Stokes, President and Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Engines and Services, GE Aerospace. “This facility will support the government’s broader economic goal of job creation while driving our innovation and competitiveness in the global MRO market to a new level.”

GE Aerospace’s Singapore facility was the first in the world to implement new additive manufacturing technology to the repair of commercial jet engine airfoil components. The Smart Factory will expand these additive technologies and processes focused first on high pressure compressor (HPC) airfoils for GEnx engines, followed by CFM* LEAP engines. Ultimately, the technologies will be leveraged to other engine models including CFM56 and CF34.

The Smart Factory will also introduce advanced technologies including:

• Automated inspection systems.
• Innovative material removal process such as net shape airfoil robotic polishing, net shape airfoil adaptive machining, and robotic airfoil leading-edge re-reprofiling.
• Digitalization including Internet of Things, robotics, cloud storage and data analytics to create a highly connected and intelligent production environment.

“GE Aerospace’s Smart Factory is a good example of how Singapore is partnering with aerospace companies to drive the development and introduction of advanced maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) technologies. It validates Singapore’s strength in innovation that helps maintain our competitive edge as a global node for aerospace manufacturing and MRO. We expect the project to bring about many collaborations between the Smart Factory and our ecosystem on talent development as well as research and development,” said Mr Tan Kong Hwee, Executive Vice President, Singapore Economic Development Board.

Singapore is GE Aerospace’s largest location for engine component MRO, accounting for more than 60 per cent of its global repair volumes and employing more than 2,000 people over three plants. Other in-region facilities include Systems Facility in Australia, MRO for LEAP engines services in Malaysia, On-wing Support in South Korea and Pune multi-modal manufacturing facility in India.

*CFM is a 50/50 joint business between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines.