General Electric — Motors Plant in Fort Wayne IN

Plaintiffs allegedly, in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation, were exposed to asbestos while working at the General Electric Motors plant in Fort Wayne IN. This page documents the Fort Wayne portion of GE’s multi-state industrial footprint. For the full corporate summary and other GE plants, see the General Electric manufacturer page.

Plant Description and Operating Era

The GE Fort Wayne plant, sometimes called “Broadway Works,” began production in 1911 following GE’s acquisition of the Fort Wayne Electric Works and became one of GE’s principal fractional- and integral-horsepower motor manufacturing sites. Fort Wayne produced GE small motors, industrial motors, and motor components for over a century, with GE announcing wind-down of the site in 2018. During the U.S. asbestos era, Fort Wayne was one of GE’s largest employers in the Midwest.

Premises ACM Narrative

Plaintiffs allegedly, in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation, alleged that during the U.S. asbestos era (approximately 1930s-1980) the GE Fort Wayne Motors plant allegedly involved asbestos-containing materials across the following pathways:

  • Asbestos pipe covering on steam mains, process piping, and utility lines throughout the manufacturing bays and powerhouse
  • Asbestos-block hot-side lagging on manufacturing furnaces, heat-treat ovens, and induction-heating equipment
  • Asbestos-fabric arc chute plates in plant switchgear, motor control centers, and load contactors
  • Asbestos sheet gaskets at process piping, boiler, and heat exchanger flanges
  • Asbestos-cement roofing and asbestos-fabric roof insulation on manufacturing bays and warehouses
  • Asbestos sprayed fireproofing on structural steel columns and floor decking (pre-1973 EPA ban)
  • Asbestos-fabric electrical winding insulation, armature-band tape, and commutator-adjacent materials on GE-manufactured motors during production, testing, and rework
  • Asbestos varnish-oven exhaust, cure-oven gaskets, and stator-baking-oven insulation handled by winding and finish-line workers

Workers Exposed

Plaintiffs allegedly alleged that trade workers at the GE Fort Wayne Motors plant during the asbestos era included:

  • HFIAW Insulators — asbestos pipe covering and block insulation on steam and process lines
  • UA Pipefitters — flange bolt-up and gasket work on process piping
  • IBB Boilermakers — powerhouse boiler and heat-treat furnace refractory work
  • IBEW Electricians — plant switchgear, motor-control center, and rewind-shop work
  • BAC Bricklayers — refractory relining on manufacturing furnaces
  • IUE / GE Salaried and hourly production workers — motor winding, assembly, testing, and rework
  • Millwrights — machine tool installation and heavy manufacturing equipment work

If You Worked at GE Fort Wayne

If you or a family member worked at the GE Fort Wayne Motors plant in Fort Wayne IN — or any other GE manufacturing site — before 1980 and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, or another asbestos-related disease, you may have a legal claim.

Free, confidential case evaluation: Speak with O’Brien Law Firm — (314) 936-2956