GE Aerospace said this week they expect another busy year at their Rutland facility, announcing a $32 million investment to be made in the plant in 2025.
“They’re obviously seeing demand for their product, and they’re seeing that demand can be supplied but the plant here in Rutland,” said Lyle Jepson, executive director of Chamber & Economic Development of the Rutland Region. “They recognize it’s the quality of the staff that is making it effective and efficient for their operations.”
The announcement comes a year almost to the day after the company declared it was putting $24.9 million worth of industrial ovens, inspection equipment, grinders, tumblers and tooling equipment in Rutland. The investment, according to a release put out by the company Wednesday, will go toward new machines, upgrades to other machines, precision equipment, “and specialized tooling to support the production of components used in narrowbody and widebody aircraft engines, along with military helicopter and fighter jet engines.”
“Some of the investment is going to advanced machines that are needed to manufacture some of our most complex parts that need precise measurements, special tools for creating unique part shapes, and inspection technology to ensure quality,” GE spokesman Jacob Iles stated in an email. “We are also making a few upgrades to the buildings’ utilities.”
The company plans to hire 5,000 workers nationwide this year, though Iles did not indicate how many, if any, of those new jobs might be in Rutland. He said the company employs more than 1,000 people in Vermont and has 20 open positions at the Rutland plant.
“This bodes well for our region because they are investing in Rutland County,” Jepson said. “We certainly value their partnership. They also support our regional marketing initiative. They recognize we need to attract and retain skilled employees.”
Iles wrote that improvements to the main building’s utilities are planned. He added that while the company was “assessing the evolving tariff landscape,” they did not see it changing their plans.
While nobody from the company was made available for an interview Wednesday, GE did provide a statement from site leader Dan Shelley.
“Few places can say they make parts for nearly every commercial and military engine that GE Aerospace produces — but we can,” the statement read. “It speaks to the importance of the work we do here and why this investment is so critical for U.S. manufacturing and for the Rutland area.”
