In The News

Young GE Aviation remains atop Tri-States manufacturing list

September 4, 2013  |  GE Aviation
Young GE Aviation remains atop Tri-States manufacturing list

By Gigi Verna, Cincinnati Business Courier

General Electric Co. has been making jet engines in Evendale since 1949, when it took over a plant that had produced piston-driven airplane engines during World War II. Since then, General Electric Aircraft Engines, now known as GE Aviation, has been one of the largest manufacturers and employers in the Tri-State.

This year is no exception: GE Aviation again tops theCourier’s “Largest Tri-State Manufacturers” list, with 7,600 local employees. The closest runner-up is AK Steel Corp., headquartered in West Chester, with 2,100 local employees.

Click here for a slideshow of the top five manufacturers, ranked by local employees, and check out our expanded list pages in this week’s print edition.

Still, GE is one of the youngsters when it comes to local manufacturing. Despite the ups and downs of the industry, especially in recent years, the list is heavy with companies that have celebrated their centennials and then some. Six companies were founded in the 1800s, including Zumbiel Packaging, the oldest on the list. That 170-year-old company moved several years ago from Norwood to Hebron, and remains family-owned.

Most companies on the list are owned by U.S. firms, and a dozen have local roots. But Germany, Switzerland and Japan also figure into local manufacturing, along with a London-based equity firm that owns one local company.