WILMINGTON — One of the Port City’s largest industrial employers is slated for a multi-million dollar equipment and facility overhaul as its parent company prepares for a surge in aircraft engine demand.
GE Aerospace announced Monday it will invest $60 million into its Wilmington manufacturing site, located on Castle Hayne Road, during 2026. The local funding is part of a broader $1 billion national initiative aimed at upgrading 30 U.S. facilities and hiring 5,000 new workers to streamline the production of engines for commercial airlines and the U.S. military.
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The Wilmington facility produces components for narrowbody and widebody aircraft, as well as parts for military fighter jets and naval ships. The new investment targets equipment modernization by bringing more advanced machining equipment and upgraded heat treatment furnaces online to increase part production. It also includes building improvements to support the facility’s growing workforce.
“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,” Mark Moon, site leader for GE Aerospace in Wilmington said in a release.
This marks the second consecutive year GE Aerospace has committed a $1 billion investment nationally. Over the last three years, the company has funneled more than $135 million specifically into the Wilmington site.
The investment accounts for a significant portion of the company’s $160 million planned spend across North Carolina this year, which also includes $20 million for specialized tooling at its Durham site and $500,000 to establish a veteran training program in Fayetteville.
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