Summary

At GE Aerospace's Rutland facilities, I learned the ins and outs of the supply chain and had the opportunity to cut, test, and examine engine airfoils working in the Metallurgical Lab. This experience taught me a lot about Lean manufacturing, the complexities of large aircraft engines, and the fascinating material properties of super alloys. 

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Details

I moved to Rutland, Vermont to work at one of the three GE Aerospace plants, working directly under the manager of the Quality team. I was trained on Unigraphics to assist the Parts Inspection Program and participated in my first Lean Action Workout (LAWO). The work improvement event was a great learning experience as it was team building activity where members of the plant from different projects would come together to solve or improve a particular line in the plant. 

 

I also discovered the metallurgy lab where I joined a small team of four. I ended up learning so much about the material science and processes for evaluating the airfoils made their in the plant that I permanently joined their team. While most of my work was confidential, the image to the right shows an example of something I would cut, etch, test, and evaluate!