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How we know: A GE Aerospace news article. All figures are GE's.

Facts as known at: Nov. 24, 2025 (GE Aerospace news article)

ManufacturingCase study

GE Aerospace says re-laying one Pune line raised parts per day 67% before any further changes

Three kaizen rounds on a turbine-manifold line in India moved it to single-piece flow, cut changeover 20%, put one operator where two had worked, and took one step's defects from five a day to zero, GE says.

By Real World WireDated November 2025

PUNE, India, Nov. 24, 2025 — GE Aerospace said rearranging a turbine-component line at its Pune factory into single-piece flow raised parts-per-day output 67 percent, with two later kaizen rounds adding 33 and 2.5 percent more. Output has doubled since early 2023, it said. Here's what happened, what it cost, and what went wrong.

Cost and outcome (as of Nov. 24, 2025)

  • Outcome: "The parts-per-day output increased by 67% with the layout improvement, then by another 33% after a second kaizen event focused on design improvement, and by an additional 2.5% after a third huddle." (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)
  • Cost: GE gave no cost for the line work. A separate weld-to-bend change at Pune saved "over $150,000 a year." (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)
  • Scale: The line has seen "a twofold increase in output since the beginning of 2023." (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

How the line changed

The high-pressure turbine active clearance control (HPT-ACC) manifold line was redone "over the course of three separate kaizen events" starting in spring 2023, with experts from other GE sites as "fresh eyes." (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

First, the team streamlined its "standard work chart," a map of how materials, parts and work-in-progress move on the floor. "Once they could visualize the hurdles, the team came up with a new layout that utilized a single-piece flow of parts sequentially." (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

Then came automation "delivered in the right doses": toggle clamping, "utilizing one operator instead of two"; reorganized fixtures in a weld booth to remove changeovers, "a 20% savings in changeover time"; and a cap-bending machine that cut defects "from five a day, when the process was done manually, to zero." (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

Junior engineer Komal Datir said her tooling station now adjusts to her height. "Earlier, I had to lift it down to my level," she said. "Now I just need to press a button." (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

Why it matters to GE

GE calls FLIGHT DECK its proprietary lean operating model. "Predictable business is very important, operating cadence is very important, daily inputs and improvements are very important," said Abhijit Khandekar, head of operations management for manufacturing at Pune. (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

GE said every Pune employee is empowered to "stop work" when a problem is detected, which stops the whole line while the team finds a root cause or a countermeasure. (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

A weld removed

Separately, Pune replaced a four-stage manual weld, where "each weld took about an hour," with an automated bend. GE said it raised productivity 30%, freed welders' capacity, saved over $150,000 a year, and is now used on six parts. (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

"As simple as it sounds," the change "required a newly designed clamp and dies and heavier press machines," GE said. Deputy Engineer Sachin Bhagat and his peers ran weeks of trials, bending three-inch tubes to test shear, compression and twisting limits. (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

Next

The model line is being copied elsewhere in the factory. "We are going to transform the entire factory," said FLIGHT DECK specialist Pankaj Thakur. GE aims to redesign all lines, including the tube line and press shop, by 2030. (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

Even the canteen, which feeds more than 1,000 people, now tracks safety, quality, delivery, inventory and productivity. "Even our caterer is measured," said FLIGHT DECK leader Shashidhar Pai. (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)

What went wrong

  • The old layout hid the waste. The team needed a new "standard work chart" before it "could visualize the hurdles." (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)
  • No baselines. GE gives percentages but no parts-per-day or lead-time figures. (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)
  • Old work, new article. The line changes began in spring 2023. (GE Aerospace, Nov. 24, 2025)
  • What we don't know yet: whether the gains held, and the line's cost per part before and after.

Our follow-up question for GE Aerospace

What were HPT-ACC parts per day and lead time before and after the three kaizens?

Sources

  1. GE Aerospace, “Flow State: Using FLIGHT DECK to Overhaul a Production Line at Pune,” Nov. 24, 2025. geaerospace.com

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© 2026 Real World Wire. Written October 29, 2026.