Michigan’s gigantic unemployment line will soon be 1,100 people shorter.
General Electric Co., the Fairfield, Conn. based conglomerate, announced over the weekend that it would build a new advanced technology research center in southeast Michigan.
GE’s contemplated Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center will be located in Van Buren Township, in the suburbs of Detroit. GE plans to hire engineers recently laid off from the “Big Three” automakers.
GE Chief Executive Jeffrey Immelt announced the news last Friday at a press conference with Gov. Jennifer Granholm in Michigan. The company said it will invest more than $100 million to build the 100,000 square foot site. The state of Michigan will contribute more than $50 million in incentives over a decade.
The news is a godsend for Michigan’s economy, which has seen its share of troubles. The state’s unemployment rate, 14.1 percent, is the highest in the nation.
The center will develop future manufacturing technologies for GE’s products in renewable energy, aircraft engine, turbines, and other high-tech fields. The center will also host research personnel in software development and networking.
“To lead in manufacturing and create high-value jobs in the U.S., we must invest in technology and in people,” Immelt said at the news conference. “The scientists, engineers and technologists that will work and learn at this center will help GE develop innovative new software, processes and technologies to make our manufacturing businesses even more productive and competitive.
Michigan Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow also attended the event.
“Michigan is well positioned to be a leader in advanced manufacturing and development of green technologies,“ Sen. Levin said. ”This facility will take advantage of our state’s strengths and keep us on the forefront of these critical emerging industries.”
GM Plans Small Car Plant
Bankrupt automaker General Motors Corp. has reportedly chosen Orion Township, Michigan as the location for its future small-car assembly plant.
According to people close to negotiations cited by Bloomberg, GM chose the location due to its 25-year tax abatement.
GM is planning several fuel-efficient small vehicles to cater to a changing automobile market, as it works to emerge from a government-sponsored bankruptcy.
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