GE Aerospace is expanding its maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) operation in Tres Rios, Brazil, with an investment of about $82 million (BRL 430 million), largely to increase repair capacity for CFM LEAP engines in that country. It noted that the project is a response to growing demand for its MRO services, and that it will be completed in the fall of 2025.
GE currently services more than 500 engines annually for the three largest Brazilian carriers, offering engine disassembly and reassembly, MRO, inspection, and testing.
The LEAP engine is a series of high-bypass turbofan engines manufactured by CFM International, a joint venture of GE Aerospace and Safran Aircraft Engines. The LEAP-1A variant powers the Airbus 320neo series of twin-engine aircraft, while the LEAP-1B is installed in the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
When the Brazilian expansion program is complete GE Aerospace will be available to service more than 800 engines annually at that location.
GE Aerospace was launched in April and is the surviving entity since the spin off of the former group’s health care and energy businesses. Since April, GE has announced capital investment programs to improve its manufacturing supply chain in the U.S. and abroad, and to increase employment with hundreds more engineers.
It said the MRO expansion will set the Brazilian operation with more than 500 employees.
"With the Tres Rios plant expansion, we will be able to increase our MRO capabilities, primarily for LEAP engines,” said Luiz Froes, regional executive director & v.p. Government Relations, Latin America. “This will be possible not only due to the increased room and staff to perform our activities, but thanks to the implementation of Flight Deck, our proprietary, lean operating model. We will be able to optimize the distribution of engine parts and pieces across our units in Brazil, helping us meet a growing demand from our clients around the world.”
