Change to expected growth rate in fourth paragraph
GE Aviation plans heavy investment in its Singapore maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility in the coming years as it prepares for a surge of new work.
Dev Rudra, managing director of GE Aviation Engine Services – Singapore, says the company will upgrade its work-flow technologies, as well as taking on more engineers and technicians.
Several projects, including an Automation and Robotics Centre of Excellence, as well as a centre for research and development, will also be set up over the next decade.
“Right now, we receive an average of around 1.6 million components a year,” says Rudra. This is expected to grow in the double-digit percent range in the next 10 years, due to GE's backlog for new engines, he says.
The Singapore facility currently provides repair and overhaul services for components on CF6, CF34, GE90, GEnx and GP7200 powerplants, plus CFM56s produced by GE's CFM International joint venture.
GE is also preparing the site to work on a new generation of engines such as the CFM Leap models that power the Airbus A320neo and Boeing 737 Max, as well as the GE9X for the 777X.
“We will have the capabilities within the next few years,” says Rudra.
However, with the decline in fuel prices, GE Aviation has seen more regular work performed on older engine types such as the CF6 that powers the A330 and 747.
Rudra adds that the Singapore facility has become a key part of GE Aviation’s innovation strategy, to date filing 11 patents, including the development of coatings for components, enabling a longer on-wing period.
“In the past, we used to receive technologies from our overseas facilities and apply them into our workflow. Today, Singapore is sharing the new ideas with the wider GE Aviation group," says Rudra.
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Source: Cirium Dashboard
