GE to invest $400m in a new facility in Greenville, South Carolina

General Electric has broken ground on its new state-of-the-art Power & Water Advanced Manufacturing Facility in South Carolina, US, and has plans to invest $400m over the next 10 years at the site to expand the company’s advanced manufacturing capabilities.

The facility will serve as an incubator for innovative advanced manufacturing process development and rapid prototyping. By developing new techniques and production processes in close proximity to Power & Water’s established manufacturing operation on the Greenville campus, GE said it will be able to design, test, iterate and bring its products to market quicker than ever.

GE Power & Water President and CEO Steve Bolze, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Tim Scott and Greenville County Council Chairman Bob Taylor attended a ribbon cutting ceremony at the site of the facility, which will open in 2015 and create more than 80 jobs.

“The Advanced Manufacturing Facility represents another major GE investment in expanding our Power & Water technologies and our ongoing investment in South Carolina, which began in 1968,” said GE Power & Water President and CEO Steve Bolze. “The facility will serve as a cornerstone for generating prototypes of new components that will enable GE to launch new products and technologies that drive technical innovation to compete in high-growth markets. The advanced manufacturing techniques that are developed in South Carolina will increase product speed to market, benefiting our global customer base. GE’s innovation will power the world.”

A GE 6FA gas turbine efficiently supports the needs of mid-size project requiring 100-to-300 MW of power.

GE has more than 3,000 employees in Greenville, and in the past five years alone has invested more than $500m to boost critical manufacturing activities housed in the Greenville County Power & Water campus. The company has established valuable relationships with local community schools, universities and technical programs to develop new technologies and create a system to support those who are passionate about growing with the industry.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said, “The Greenville community has a long standing relationship with GE, and it welcomes the new Power & Water Advanced Manufacturing Facility. Manufacturing innovation is integral to economic progression and I am delighted that South Carolina has the infrastructure and skilled workforce that enables GE to shape the future of work.”

“An investment of this size in our state is a reminder that South Carolina’s skilled workforce and business-friendly atmosphere are keys to our economic success. The opening of this new facility also reflects our on-going partnership with GE as they continue to grow and add jobs within our state. They had the opportunity to expand anywhere in the world and they chose South Carolina – for that we are honoured and we look forward to their continued growth with us for years to come,” noted Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.

GE Power & Water provides customers with a broad array of power generation, energy delivery and water process technologies to solve their challenges locally. Power & Water works in all areas of the energy industry including renewable resources such as wind and solar, biogas and alternative fuels; and coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy. The business also develops advanced technologies to help solve the world’s most complex challenges related to water availability and quality. Power & Water’s six business units include Distributed Power, Nuclear Energy, Power Generation Products, Power Generation Services, Renewable Energy and Water and Process Technologies. Headquartered in Schenectady, N.Y., Power & Water is GE’s largest industrial business.