GE Aerospace Unveils Fully Automated Manufacturing Line at Lynn Engine Plant

LYNN, Mass.—Rosie the robot and her automated counterpart Thomas lead GE Aerospace’s cutting‑edge production line at the company’s Lynn facility. Dressed in bright yellow, the towering machines resemble a living Transformer, seamlessly coordinating to collect tools, handle components, and assemble parts for the T700 engine, which powers Boeing’s Apache and Sikorsky’s Black Hawk helicopters, and will soon support the T408 engines for the Marine Corps’ CH‑53K King Stallion.

The line is the centerpiece of a multi‑year, $100 million investment aimed at modernizing equipment, workflows, and capacity to accelerate engine output. “Historically this was a bottleneck for us,” said Dan Martin, who oversees manufacturing engineering and leads the team integrating robotics at the plant. “We faced quality and capacity issues, but with the new automation the line is no longer constrained.”

The push for speed aligns with upcoming high‑volume orders for collaborative combat aircraft—often referred to as “robot wingmen” for fighter jets. “We’re designing from the start to meet the right production rates,” explained Amy Gowder, GE Aerospace’s president and CEO of the defense and systems division, in a Monday briefing. “For example, after a seven‑way exercise we determined we need a takt time of 100 seconds per screw rather than 90 minutes for 70 screws.”

Gowder added that the company is also vetting suppliers capable of handling the required volumes. “For the F404/F414 engine used in the F/A‑18, we’re shifting to a new supplier base that adheres to commercial off‑the‑shelf standards and can scale quickly,” she noted. “When we tell them to move from one engine per month to 20 per month within a year, they’re ready; it’s only around 100 engines per month that they start asking for additional capacity.”

GE is conducting “producibility reviews” with new suppliers to ensure designs are production‑ready before finalization. “We believe we’ve selected the right partners with the necessary capacity and processes, and we stay engaged as they work from the drawings to first articles, making adjustments before locking in the final design,” Gowder said.

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