GE Invests in Expansion at Iowa Industrial Solutions Plant

GE Industrial Solutions announced that it’s investing $1.3 million in its West Burlington, Iowa, manufacturing plant, adding two product lines to its operations and creating about 50 new jobs. The upgraded facility will produce paralleling switchgear equipment and EntelliGuard low-voltage air circuit breakers.

“GE is investing in the Industrial Solutions business at the highest levels in its history,” said Bob Gilligan, CEO of GE’s Industrial Solutions business, in a release. “We’re infusing money into our operations to improve our customers’ experience in every way. Streamlining our manufacturing processes and investing in new equipment and engineering enables us to bring customers new products faster and with better quality. We’re also investing in a global information technology infrastructure to improve communication and coordination between the sales team, the supply chain and customers.”

GE hosted a “Power to Perform” rally at the West Burlington plant for more than 200 of its employees along with area business leaders and government guests including Congressman Dave Loebsack and West Burlington Mayor Hans Trousil. The GE release said its “Power to Perform” push is a grassroots effort to spark creativity and innovation among employees who are encouraged to work in simpler, smarter and faster ways to improve customer responsiveness.

GE is investing globally in redefining its Industrial Solutions product portfolio and accelerating its ability to deliver high-quality solutions faster, through rapid prototyping with 3-D printing and early customer feedback and validation.

“This is an exciting day for us,” said Chad Ebeling, GE’s plant manager in West Burlington. “The investments and job creation are true testaments to our employees’ hard work and dedication. We have a committed and passionate team that takes pride in their jobs and in manufacturing high-quality electrical distribution products. We’re thrilled to bring these new product lines and new jobs to West Burlington.”