Dépêches

New GE Brazil Center Provides Localized Service for Growing Power Generation and Oil and Gas Industries

Dépèche transmise le 19 octobre 2011 par Business Wire

HOUSTON & RIO DE JANEIRO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE (NYSE: GE) today celebrated the opening of its new, US$10 million facility in Petropolis, dedicated to providing localized service for the aeroderivative and oil and gas sectors in Latin America. With one of the world’s fastest growing economies, Brazil has an increased demand for power. GE’s new Brazil Service Center will help ensure that GE’s customers in the region have reliable power generation equipment for industrial, municipal and mechanical applications.

“This new facility in Petropolis employs a local workforce and will effectively cut service time in half, eliminating costly shipping costs and shortening delivery times. Faster service time to market means less down time for our customers, resulting in more revenue from their running machines.”

GE’s Brazil Service Center opening is another example of how GE is broadening its global customer support capabilities. It follows on the heels of a recent announcement that GE is enhancing its global business presence with the opening of a multimillion Euro expansion of its aeroderivative gas turbine service center in Rheden, Netherlands.

“GE has been in Brazil for more than 90 years, and over the last decade, we have seen our customer base rapidly change and expand to include industrial businesses and remote communities that need reliable, independent power to grow,” said Marcelo Soares, president and CEO of GE Energy Latin America. “This new facility in Petropolis employs a local workforce and will effectively cut service time in half, eliminating costly shipping costs and shortening delivery times. Faster service time to market means less down time for our customers, resulting in more revenue from their running machines.”

The new service center was built to help GE meet the needs of its growing aeroderivative gas turbine customer base in Latin America. GE’s gas turbines help businesses and communities worldwide take advantage of natural gas' ability to deliver clean, efficient distributed energy. GE’s latest addition to the aeroderivative portfolio, unveiled on September 14, 2011, is the FlexAero* LM6000-PH, a high-efficiency, 50-megawatt (MW) gas turbine that features breakthrough flexibility and efficiency.

“Brazil is the largest GE aero fleet per country outside the United States, and Petrobras is the largest customer. Our new facility will help us meet the needs of those customers,” said Darryl Wilson, president and CEO—aeroderivative gas turbines for GE Power & Water. “Our continued investment in research and development of aircraft engine technology enables GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines to maintain their leadership position in technology, performance, operational flexibility and value to customers while meeting the growing demand for more powerful and efficient turbines.”

As the first dedicated facility for servicing the aeroderivative fleet in Brazil, GE’s Brazil Service Center is located in the city of Petropolis, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, on 1.9 acres of land and services natural gas, liquid fuel, biofuels and sugarcane-based ethanol-fired machines. The 2,044 square-meter building provides the following benefits:

• Services and logistics processes;
• In-country shop and component repair capabilities as applicable (LM2500/LM6000);
• Complex assembly support ;
• 100+ unit capability in five years; and
• Addresses customer localization requirements—engine and component repairs and future localized equipment content.

The new facility provides “Level 4” service¹, including full module and component repair, for the power generation industry, as well as for the country’s growing oil and gas sector.

GE’s aeroderivative business, headquartered in Houston, Texas, brings power to businesses and communities around the world by modifying highly reliable GE aviation engines to burn natural gas and/or biofuels for efficient, reliable energy. These jet engine-based power generation units, which range from 18-100 MW, help energy companies take advantage of the growing trend to use abundant, cleaner-burning natural gas for power generation. GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines have been selected for a multitude of energy applications, ranging from power generation to the exploration, production and transmission of oil and gas. The units also have marine propulsion system applications including transport, ferryboat and cruise ships.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.

GE also serves the energy sector by providing technology and service solutions that are based on a commitment to quality and innovation. The company continues to invest in new technology solutions and grow through strategic acquisitions to strengthen its local presence and better serve customers around the world. The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Management and GE Oil & Gas—work together with more than 100,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; as well as other alternative fuels and new grid modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.

*Trademark of the General Electric Company.

¹ GE’s “Level 2” service facilities handle basic field and module repairs while “Level 4” centers perform component repairs.