Aerospace Firm Makes Major Investment in Vacuum Heat Treat Furnaces
(Editor’s Note; GE Aerospace is one of the largest in-house heat treaters in the world in terms of vacuum heat-treating capacity. Over the years “The Monty Heat Treat News” has had numerous stories about GE Aerospace divisions adding vacuum heat treat capacity, along the same lines our understanding is that the GE Aerospace facility in Quebec, Canada also recently invested in more vacuum furnace capacity.)
“General Electric Aerospace has announced a major investment at its Wilmington site alongside a billion-dollar national modernization effort.
GE Aerospace will invest $60 million at its Wilmington site, according to a news release from the company. The investment will modernize equipment to accommodate growing demand. The upgrades include advanced machining equipment, upgraded heat treatment furnaces and building improvements.
Located on Castle Hayne Road, Wilmington’s GE Aerospace site produces components for engines used in narrowbody and widebody aircraft, military fighter jets and ships.
“We’re bringing more equipment online to better serve our customers and meet growing demand, and that is good news for this community as the team grows,” site leader Mark Moon said in the news release. “We are all in on U.S. manufacturing, Wilmington, and our customers.”
Over the past three years, the company has announced plans to invest more than $135 million in Wilmington. The latest $1 billion investment includes more than $160 million across North Carolina, bringing total investment across the state to $300 million since 2024.
GE Aerospace’s second consecutive $1 billion U.S. investment will benefit more than 30 communities across 17 states. The investment builds on the annual $3 billion that the company invests into research and development. The company plans to hire 5,000 workers in manufacturing and engineering across its sites.
The Cincinnati-based manufacturer’s other 2026 North Carolina investments include $20 million in Durham, $35 million in West Jefferson and $48 million in Asheville.
“Maintaining U.S. aerospace leadership requires sustained investment in our people, our facilities, and the technologies that will define the future of flight,” Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp Jr. said in the release. “This investment is for our customers, our communities, and our country.”