GE to invest more than $10 million in expansion of Lewistown site
04/11/2011
Positioning itself to meet the growing demand for industrial and
infrastructure inspection technology solutions worldwide, GE has
announced it is investing more than $10 million to expand
its Inspection Technologies headquarters site in Lewistown,
Pennsylvania, USA. Key features of the expansion project include a new
global customer applications centre as well as an NDT academy for GE
employees and customers.US Congressman Glenn Thompson and
Pennsylvania state Senator Jake Corman, whose respective legislative
districts include GE’s Lewistown facility, joined local officials as
well as GE executives and the plant’s workforce for a ground-breaking
ceremony at the site.
GE’s current 82,000 square-foot facility employs more than 230 people in the production of NDT inspection tools used by companies in the oil and gas, power generation, metals manufacturing, automotive and aerospace sectors. GE’s Inspection Technologies business is continuing to grow as more industrial operators embrace the use of NDT solutions to monitor the condition of their equipment and more accurately predict when certain components might need repair or replacement – thus helping them to avoid costly, unplanned maintenance outages.
GE’s 52,000 square-foot expansion project will increase the facility’s floor space by more than 63% and is scheduled to be completed in 2012.
“Our new expansion will allow us to proceed with our ambitious plans for our applications centre and training academy while providing us with the extra space we need to upgrade our manufacturing capabilities,” said Jeff Anderson, Senior Executive, Product Management for GE’s Inspection Technologies business.
The expansion will enable GE to maintain its position as a leader in developing and manufacturing a wide range of remote visual inspection, ultrasonic, electromagnetic, advanced radiography and computed tomography systems, as well as data management software.
Upon completion, GE’s new customer applications centre will work with GE customers to help solve the world’s toughest inspection challenges. Currently, GE hosts more than 200 customer visits a year at the site, a number that will increase with the larger space.
“The expansion project will allow us to expand our new product development, manufacturing and training and create a world-class inspection technologies headquarters that reflects our leadership presence in the NDT industry,” Anderson said.
Meanwhile,
GE’s planned NDT academy will be used to train both GE employees and
customers on GE’s latest NDT tools, helping to address a global
shortage of well-trained NDT personnel. The training academy will also
offer partnership opportunities for local colleges and universities.
