GE Aviation celebrated in Dayton the grand opening of its $53 million Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center - an investment that will stimulate economic growth in the region and collaborative research on the campus of the University of Dayton.
“In the higher education landscape nationally, we believe this innovative partnership can be a model for the future.”
For the festivities, GE Aviation Vice President Brad Mottier joined Daniel J. Curran, president of the University of Dayton, Ohio Lt. Governor Mary Taylor, Secretary of State Jon Husted, Major General Thomas Masiello and Kurt Erbacher with Gulfstream Aerospace.
“GE Aviation’s partnership with the University of Dayton is creating long-term economic growth,” said Brad Mottier, vice president of Business & General Aviation and Integrated Systems for GE Aviation. “The center fosters collaborative research with our customers with a goal of decreasing system development time and improving on-time delivery of new aircraft.”
The center, believed to be the only one of its kind because of its capability to simulate and test complete electrical power systems in airplanes, is located on about eight acres on the University of Dayton’s campus on River Park Drive along the Great Miami River.
“The EPISCenter is a cornerstone in the continued revitalization of Dayton. It is a shining example of the potential of the Ohio’s Aerospace Hub,” said Curran, president of the University of Dayton. “In the higher education landscape nationally, we believe this innovative partnership can be a model for the future.”
The new 138,000-square-foot facility is the intellectual heart and soul of GE’s electrical power business with the employment of potentially 150–200 researchers in the next five years, depending on future programs.
"GE continues to grow and further its commitment to the state of Ohio thanks to projects like the EPISCenter,” said Lt. Governor Mary Taylor. “This new research and development facility will create good paying jobs for Ohioans, generate growth for the local economy and is further proof that Dayton is and always will be the birthplace of aviation."
GE’s electrical power business is on track to almost double from 2009 to 2014; this is attributed to the demand for more power on aircraft and GE’s ability to invest and bring advanced technologies that are flexible with customers’ requirements.
"This is exactly the kind of collaboration we need for the Dayton region and across the state to create jobs, boost R&D and educate the next generation of engineers and scientists," Secretary Husted said. "We have great assets in Wright Patt, the University of Dayton and GE. The new EPISCenter leverages them all and our economy will be better for it."
University of Dayton researchers will work with GE scientists and engineers to develop and deploy computer modeling, simulation and analysis of advanced, dynamic electrical power systems design and control technologies. The center’s close proximity to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the University of Dayton Research Institute is important in order to provide significant new support to the Air Force Research Labs and foster research and new technological breakthroughs through collaboration with researchers and graduate students on Dayton’s campus. By bringing graduate students on engineering design teams, GE Aviation is making a commitment to building a pipeline of qualified engineers for its future.
The center is directed at several markets including end-to-end electrical power starter and generation, conversion, distribution, and load technologies for next-generation civil and military aerospace applications.
The grand opening ceremony, which drew more than 200 state, regional and University officials, comes on the heels of the EPISCenter being named the state's best economic development project of the year by the Ohio Economic Development Association.
GE has a sizable footprint in Ohio with 22 locations and 15,000 employees. GE has increased its employment in the state by 7 percent in the past two years and plans to continue its investment to grow its presence in Ohio, including growth in Dayton’s Aerospace Corridor.
GE announced plans in 2010 to locate the EPISCenter on the University of Dayton campus. The EPISCenter will complement GE Aviation’s Electrical Power Integration Center (EPIC) located in Cheltenham, UK, which opened in 2011. Together, these two research centers will augment GE Aviation’s existing research and development capabilities, further enabling collaborative research and innovation.
GE Aviation, an operating unit of GE (NYSE: GE), is a world-leading provider of jet engines, components and integrated systems for commercial and military aircraft. GE Aviation has a global service network to support these offerings. GE Aviation Systems LLC and GE Aviation Systems Ltd are subsidiaries of General Electric Company. For more information, visit us at www.ge.com/aviation.
You can follow us on Twitter.com/geaviation. You can visit the electric flight video from Oshkosh: http://www.ge.com/innovation/electric_flight/index.html
The University of Dayton is a top-tier national Catholic research university with an annual sponsored research volume of nearly $100 million. It's the largest private university in Ohio.
www.udayton.edu.