GE opened a new manufacturing facility that will drive innovation and implementation of additive manufacturing across the company. The Center for Additive Technology Advancement (CATA) in Findlay Township, Pa. (near Pittsburgh) will be the company’s flagship center for additive manufacturing. The $39 million investment will create 50 high-tech engineering jobs initially, in disciplines ranging from mechanical and electrical to systems and software engineering. This is GE’s first multi-modal site in the U.S., designed as an innovation hub offering training and development in both design and applications. 

In conjunction with the CATA opening, GE launched a new white paper, “The Future Workforce: Advanced Manufacturing’s Impact on the Economy,” that details advanced manufacturing’s positive impact on jobs and in shaping the future of work. According to the paper, advanced manufacturing accounts for 13% of all jobs in the U.S. and contributes $3.1 trillion to the economy. In addition, for every advanced manufacturing job created, 3.5 jobs are supported through the supply chain, and the average salary for a technologist in the industry is $95,000. 

CATA will combine lean manufacturing and optimal productivity with advanced software analytics to improve capabilities and usage of additive manufacturing across GE while advancing materials sciences and inspection technologies.