Middle River Aircraft Systems will hire 200 people at its eastern Baltimore County plant during the next year to build brake systems for a redesigned jet that aircraft developer Boeing will soon bring to market.
The additional jobs will raise the number of employees at the 1.7 million-square-foot plant to 1,000 at a time when most companies are still wary about hiring even as the economy shows signs of bottoming out.
The planned hirings are a bright spot for the state's embattled manufacturing sector, which had been slowly deteriorating years before the recession hit.
"This shows that companies like Middle River that really know how to embrace next-generation manufacturing can have job growth," said Mike Galiazzo, executive director of the Regional Manufacturing Institute. "They realize if they embrace new technology, lean manufacturing and stay focused on their customer, they have an opportunity to grow."
The company, which is a division of GE Aviation, will hire 30 engineers and 170 people for high-tech manufacturing positions.
"It certainly is an indication that the job situation in Baltimore County is improving," said Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. "We still have too high of an unemployment rate in the county. But this shows you can counteract that by having high-tech jobs. And these are good-paying jobs that can support families."
The new jobs will support the development and manufacturing of the Genx-2B engine thrust reverser — the brakes of a jet engine — for the Boeing 747-8 commercial aircraft. Middle River Aircraft Systems will make the devices for about 25 planes, with each plane receiving four thrust reversers, said Sagar Patel, president of mechanical systems for GE Aviation.
The company has been working with Boeing for more than four years to develop the thrusters, Patel said.
"The best thing about this announcement is that we continue to invest during tough times," he said.
Patel made the announcement at a meeting with dozens of employees who work at the Middle River plant. He was joined by Sen. Barbara Mikulski and Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown.
Mikulski said the new jobs were an example of how Maryland was slowly trying to build back its manufacturing base.
"I believe a country that doesn't make something can't make something of itself," Mikulski said in an interview after the announcement.
General Electric, which bought the Middle River plant in 1997 from Lockheed Martin, has also invested $200 million there during the past five years. The facility has operated in Maryland for more than 80 years and employed 53,000 people during World War II.
Middle River is home to one of eight General Electric facilities in Maryland. Other company plants are in Bethesda, Germantown, Hanover, Hunt Valley, Laurel, Silver Spring and Glen Burnie.
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