6/3/2008

GE Aviation sets up research facility in Regensburg

Müller: "Confirmation and enrichment for Bavaria as a top aerospace location"

MUNICH / REGENSBURG A great recruitment success for Bavaria: GE Aviation, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of jet aircraft engines, is opening a research facility in Regensburg for the development of forward-pointing manufacturing processes for turbine blades. "We are proud that the global corporation GE has chosen Bavaria for such an important project. The investment shows that Bavaria’s excellent research infrastructure and pool of highly qualified skilled workers places it up among the global players in the Champions League. The decision by GE Aviation is both confirmation and an enrichment for Bavaria as a top aerospace location", the Bavaria Minister of Economic Affairs, Emilia Müller, said, stressing the importance of the investment to Bavaria as a technology center.

The Minister underlined the good contacts the State enjoys with all divisions of the global group: "Whether GE Healthcare, GE Global Research Center or now GE Aviation – collaboration between the State of Bavaria and GE is developing dynamically and successfully." GE was in excellent hands here in Bavaria. "Conditions are ideal for ensuring that the recruitment of GE Aviation to Regensburg opens a new chapter in the success story of GE in Bavaria", underscored Economics Minister Müller.

The branch office in Regensburg is expected to start operating sometime this year. By the spring of 2009, the first members of staff will be launching a pilot program there to demonstrate the efficiency of innovative manufacturing processes for low-weight turbine blades. Assuming the pilot project comes to a successful conclusion, GE plans to set up a production plant on this site in the long term. During the startup phase the company will work together with GE’s research centers in Munich and Niskayuna, New York (USA).

"Because GE is using more and more highly developed materials for the production of its jet engines, their manufacturing processes are growing more sophisticated", says Scott Ernest, Vice President and General Manager of Supply Chain Operations at GE Aviation. "The research unit in Regensburg will concentrate on some of the most complex and technically challenging production processes in the field of aircraft construction."

Georg Knoth, CEO & Regional Executive of GE in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, underscored Germany’s important international role as a high-tech location: "The investment by GE in Regensburg is further confirmation of our company’s commitment to Germany and Bavaria. The technologies being developed here will enhance our growth in the future as well by providing innovative solutions that will bring benefits to our customers all over the world."

The new facility of the major American group GE is above all a sure sign that Regensburg can compete with the rest of the world as a technologically oriented production site and has made a good name for itself in the last few years with its international location marketing. The City of Regensburg sees this as a great opportunity to carry on positioning itself as a leading center of technology. That is why the city will continue to maintain close ties with GE after the branch has been established and take advantage of the potential if offers in terms of competence building and creation of jobs.

Source: Invest in Bavaria