GE Aerospace is expanding its use of robotics, automation, and “Lean” operating methods to push more jet-engine component repairs through its Singapore hub, an effort aimed at improving throughput, quality consistency, and labor productivity amid elevated global MRO backlogs.
During a Reuters site visit, GE outlined how its ~2,000-employee Singapore repair operation is being reorganized and automated to increase repair volume by 33% without expanding the facility footprint, supported by digital tools and AI to detect defects more effectively and standardize processes. The factory is also a showcase for “FLIGHT DECK,” GE’s proprietary Lean system, designed to drive repeatable performance via waste reduction, standard work, and continuous improvement.
A core focus is automating tasks that have historically relied on technician “touch.” GE described training robots to replicate compressor-blade blending on CFM56 hardware, work that has traditionally been 100% manual and done to extremely tight tolerances, so output scales without being constrained by scarce specialist labor.
The push aligns with GE’s broader Singapore investment plan: a multi-year program of up to $300 million (running 2025–2029), backed by Singapore’s EDB, to add AI-enabled inspection, predictive maintenance, and automated repair, as well as new module repair capability for CFM LEAP-1A/1B high-pressure turbines.
Operationally, GE pointed to tangible cycle-time targets, such as improving CFM56 turbine nozzle turnaround from about 40 days (2021) toward 21 days by 2028, while reallocating space to prepare for LEAP hardware entering heavier overhaul cycles.
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