May 12, 2008

HEALTH ISSUES IN MISSISSIPPI

Today, we welcome Ed Thompson, State Health Officer from Jackson,  to discuss current health issues and concerns in the state.

A REPORT FROM PACCAR

Next week, we’ll get a progress report on PACCAR’s new diesel engine plant that’s rapidly taking shape east of Starkville  between Highway 82 and GTR Airport.  Our guest speakers will be Lex Lemmers, plant manager, and assistant plant manager Lance Walters.

LAST WEEK AT ROTARY

Attendance: There were 115 members (80 active, 34 exempt, 1 honorary) present and 66 members  (55 active, 22 exempt, and 7 honorary) missing. Two  members are on leave.

Invocation and Pledge: Bob Daniels.

Guests: Guests included Chandler Russ of Kim Richardson; Dee Irvin, Joe Irvin, and Diane Daniels of Bob Daniels; Jarred Reneau of Greg Stewart; and Robert Avant of  Omis Avant. Club guests were Justin Whitman (GE Aviation); Becky Wilkes (Red Cross); David Franz (Cub Pack 14); and Maryna Melnik and Negrita Caicedo (RYE students).

Makeup: Jeff Donald is credited with a makeup on-line.

Rotary Support for Red Cross: President Ned Browning presented a check for $1,000 to Becky Wilkes supporting the local chapter of the American Red Cross. Becky recognized all Rotarians who had served on the Red Cross Board and thanked the Club for the contribution, all of which will be used locally.

Meeting Notes: President Ned Browning reminded new officers, directors, and committee chairmen of tonight’s cookout and meeting hosted by Past President Larry Mullins. The get-together will begin at 6 p.m. at Larry’s home at 1903 Hwy 12W, about 3½  miles west of the bypass interchange by WalMart.

Ned congratulated Rotarian Bryce Griffis for his upcoming induction into the Mississippi Business Hall of Fame.

David Franz, Cubmaster of Cub Pack 14, said that the Pack recently celebrated its Blue and Gold Banquet where three boys received the high “Arrow of Light” Award. He reported that Pack 14 started the year with 72 boys and graduated 64. He thanked the Club for its continued support of scouting.

Rotary Minute: Omis Avant reminded members that the Club’s Excellence in Education Committee will again honor teachers and students from all city and county schools. Those honored get a recognition certificate and a Rotary “Golden Ruler” that includes our emblem and the Rotary 4-Way Test. The first schools recognized will be at meetings in November.

GE AVIATION’S NEW COMPOSITE  PLANT

When Joe Thompson introduced the attractive young lady as plant manager of a new 300,000 square foot aviation plant rapidly nearing completion near Batesville, it caused a collective rise of most eyebrows in the audience. It didn’t take many minutes for Kristie Sturgeon to convince Rotarians that GE Aviation made an excellent decision when they named her to head the ambitious project.

For the next 20 minutes, the speaker kept her listeners impressed with her knowledge as she briefed them on GE Aviation, the new engine composite plant nearing completion, and the role of Mississippi State University’s aerospace and industrial engineering expertise.

General Electric has been manufacturing jet engines for military and commercial aircraft for well over half a century.  Today, it claims 65 percent of the world market.

There’s no economic slump or slowdown in the world’s aerospace industry, according to Ms. Sturgeon. Therefore, GE Aviation is expanding its operations to meet demands for lighter, more fuel efficient, and more powerful engines for commercial and military aircraft here and in countries with large populations and rapidly growing economies – like China and India.

GE engines will power Boeing’s new 787 “Dreamliner” and the 747-8 (the new upgrade of the popular 747) . She said Boeing has orders for 3,500 787's and is sold out of 747-8 aircraft through 2015. In short, the future for the commercial aerospace industry is very bright.

Technology in engines has changed dramatically with development of composites. GENX engines are 15 percent lighter than the engines that have been used in jetliners. The weight reduction means the aircraft can haul more passengers, increasing fare revenue. There also is a significant  increase in  fuel efficiency, a reduction in emissions, and quieter operation. GE engines have been using  composites for engine fan casings, but now wants to extend their use to other engine components, including the fan blades.

Because MSU has been a leader in developing composites  for aerospace, GE has been operating out of the Raspet Flight Laboratory since January 2007, developing and testing the technology to make the fan platforrms for the GENX engine. “We want to lead the world in manufacture of composite components,” Sturgeon said.

The company chose an 87-acre site near Batesville and broke ground for the 300,000 square foot plant last November. In spite of extended periods of rainy weather it is on track to be completed and operational in July. Some 280,000 square feet will be manufacturing space.  Sturgeon expects to have 20 hourly employees by the end of the year when the FAA certification audit is scheduled. The plant should be in full production by the end of January 2009 and by 2011, Sturgeon estimates employment will have grown to 260 production workers.

She explained that the work at Raspet developed equipment to manufacture  the new composite engine components (fan platforms) that will be installed between the front fan blades of the company’s powerful commercial jet propulsion engines. Although this equipment will be moved to Batesville as soon as the plant becomes operational, the GE Aviation partnership with MSU will continue to develop and test new technologies. “We’re getting great help from people here in plant design and computer simulation of equipment for the Batesville plant,” she said.”It’s a great team of people.”

While the plant is being completed, recruitment of workers is also underway. She said they’ve already had more than 1,300 applications. Workers will complete a 3-week training period, a full day of which will be devoted to community service projects.  “One of GE Aviation’s goals is to establish partnerships with every community in which our plants are located. The people and partnership in this community, the state, and Mississippi State University have been wonderful,” she concluded before inviting a number of questions from the audience.

With such a strong partnership with MSU, why did GE choose to build the plant at Batesville?
“I didn’t have anything to do with site selection,” she responded. GE authorities looked at a number of sites. working closely with TVA, the Mississippi Development Authority, and the city of Batesville.

 “But we also partner with the other two universities – Southern Miss for its strong chemistry research, Ole Miss for its manufacturing center.”  They also plan  to partner with one of state’s community colleges for worker training.

Will Batesville be the only GE Aviation composites  plant?
She said plants in Santa Fe and Baltimore will manufacture other composite engine components and there will be composites used some in other smaller operations. Batesville will be the primary  manufacturer of the GENX fan platforms.

For those of us who are not chemistry literate, what are composites?
“Composites are carbon fibers  preimpregnated with epoxy resin forming a material that resembles plexiglass,”  she explained, noting that MSU is one of the world’s leaders in research and development of composite materials.

What kind of skills will be required of floor workers in the new plant?
“We have needs and desires. Workers must be at least 18 year-old U.S. citizens with either a high school diploma or GED. Previous  manufacturing experience is desirable but not a requirement. We will train all our workers. After all, this is NOT rocket science!”

Will you run 24/7?
“No, we’ll start out with one shift, then ramp up to  three shifts Monday through Friday.”

What’s  your backgound and how did you become plant manager?
She smiled and replied “I’m 11 years out of school (Purdue University) and all those years have been in manufacturing.” She has moved often and up, starting with 5 years in the automotive industry, then moving  to United Technologies where she helped plan and operate a plant in Tyler, Texas. She was hired by GE Aviation at Cincinnati headquarters  and ultimately tapped by management to head the new Mississippi operation.

She proved to be an impressive, well-informed, enthusiastic manager and an effective spokesman for her company.