GE Aerospace Invests $11M to Build 'Smart Factory' at Singapore Engine Repair Facility
Why It MattersThe upgrade signals deeper automation and digitalization in commercial engine MRO, reinforcing Singapore's position as a global hub for airfoil repair capacity.
GE Aerospace has announced an investment of USD $11 million (SGD $15 million) to transform its aircraft engine repair facility at Seletar Aerospace Park in Singapore into a 'Smart Factory,' in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB). The initiative will begin with high pressure compressor airfoils for GEnx engines, then extend to CFM LEAP engines, and eventually to CFM56 and CF34 engine models. New technologies to be deployed include automated inspection systems, robotic polishing and adaptive machining for net shape airfoils, robotic airfoil leading-edge re-profiling, and digitalization measures such as Internet of Things connectivity, cloud storage, and data analytics, which will later be extended to other facilities.
GE Aerospace's Singapore facility was the first in the world to implement additive manufacturing technology for repairing commercial jet engine airfoil components. Singapore is GE Aerospace's largest global location for engine component MRO, accounting for more than 60 per cent of its global repair volumes and employing more than 2,000 people across three plants.
Russell Stokes, President and CEO of Commercial Engines and Services at GE Aerospace, said the investment represents the next chapter in the company's partnership with EDB and will support job creation while advancing its competitiveness in the global MRO market. EDB Executive Vice President Tan Kong Hwee said the Smart Factory validates Singapore's strength in innovation and is expected to generate collaborations in talent development and research and development within the aerospace ecosystem.
