11/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/18/2024 10:05
• Officially opened earlier this fall, with plans on track to be fully operational in Q1 '25
• The new 60,000 sq. ft. facility will enable GE Aerospace to accelerate the deployment of new inspection and repair processes to its MRO shops globally.
• Part of GE Aerospace's $1 billion investment in its MRO Network to meet increased services demand and reduce Shop turnaround times.
Cincinnati - Monday, November 18, 2024 - Today GE Aerospace celebrated the ribbon cutting of its Services Technology Acceleration Center (STAC), a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to advancing aerospace inspection technologies and repair processes and enhancing customer support capabilities for its Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities around the globe.
The STAC is a hub for rapidly industrializing and deploying cutting-edge technologies and methodologies for inspecting jet engine parts to drive greater rigor around safety and improve turnaround times on inspection. The center will house state-of-the-art inspection technologies, powered by AI and machine learning, that will be able to detect emerging issues sooner and help get customers' engines back on wing faster.
STAC, which opened earlier this fall, is in the process of finalizing certification of several technologies, which will be deployed across the company's Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul facilities globally.
"The Services Technology Acceleration Center provides us with an unprecedented capability to rapidly industrialize and scale the most advanced inspection solutions using AI, automation, and robotics, to our global network of MRO organizations," said Russell Stokes, President and CEO, Commercial Engines and Services. "With each new deployment from the STAC, we will give our MRO organizations better tools to meet the ramp in services demand and reduce turnaround times for engine overhauls.'
Along with improving the quality and detail of part inspections, these new inspection processes will improve the cost of ownership on jet engines for airline customers by more clearly delineating airworthy repaired parts that can be returned to the field in lieu of replacing them entirely with new parts.
In addition to advancing state-of-the-art inspection capabilities, STAC houses more than 20 special repair processes and 50 manufacturing engineers focused on substantiating the use of next generation repair technologies. GE Aerospace's investment in developing and deploying these step-change repair processes will help further reduce cost of ownership for customers and turnaround time for maintenance events.
GE Aerospace is in the process of moving its first two advanced inspection technologies, XRF, and white light inspection, into the STAC. Once in STAC, these new solutions will be industrialized and prepared to deploy to parts of GE Aerospace's MRO network. Additional technologies that will be industrialized at the site include ultrasound, computed tomography, flash thermography, eddy current testing, fluorescent penetrant inspection, and dimensional metrology.
About GE Aerospace
GE Aerospace is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components, and systems for commercial and military aircraft with a global service network to support these offerings. GE Aerospace and its joint ventures have an installed base of more than 44,000 commercial and 26,000 military aircraft engines, and the business is playing a vital role in shaping the future of flight. For more information, visit us at www.GEAerospace.com.