The Honourable Company of Gloucestershire visited GE Aerospace on the 12th June 2024 at their Bishops Cleeve Facility, near Cheltenham Race Course.
GE aerospace contributes a gross value added of £666m, to the UK GDP with 7569 employees. Their major product line is engine overhaul, however, in our area of Gloucestershire, electrical power management systems, cockpit avionics and propellers predominate. The Cleeve site, which was originally Smiths Aerospace, has 1600 employees and is the largest facility in the UK, its area of specialisation being electrical power management and avionics.
Our visit included an automated printed circuit board, pick and place line, which robotically populated exceptional small electrical components onto circuit boards, after which they were soldered into position which then became part of power management of avionic systems. At the other end of the spectrum, we saw high power three phase electrical load managements cabinets being assembled for the Boeing 777 and also a smaller units for the JSF (Joint Strike Fighter)
GE are Committed to Transparency, Accountability and Community. Here are just some examples, GE employed 216 apprentices in 2021, GE have a community volunteering programme, GE received an award for being a highly commended STEM employer. GE are committed to gender diversity through “GillsgetSET”.
