GE Manufacturing & Technology Center in Dammam goes green with new intelligent lighting

Tuesday 17 May 2016

Dammam - MENA Herald: GE Manufacturing & Technology Center (GEMTEC) in Dammam, a significant investment by GE (NYSE: GE) that strengthens localized manufacturing of equipment for power, water, and oil and gas industries, is setting a new milestone in sustainability.

The facility is installing intelligent light controls and lighting upgrades as part of GE’s Ecomagination program. Ecomagination is GE’s growth strategy to enhance resource productivity and reduce environmental impact at a global scale.

Current, GE’s new start-up firm that brings together the company’s LED, solar, energy storage and electric vehicle business into a holistic offering, is a key supporting partner in the facility upgrades.

The enhancements are set to help eliminate carbon emissions, significantly scaling up the center’s environmental sustainability. Facility leaders expect the upgrades will generate savings of 640 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

In addition, as part of the second phase of expansion, the manufacturing facility at GEMTEC will be an Ecomagination site with lighting upgrades. It will feature LED lamps and will be fully automated. All lighting controls will be based upon occupancy through the building management system. The estimated annual savings are another 650 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and US$75,000 in annual cost savings.

Hisham Al Bahkali, President & CEO, GE Saudi Arabia & Bahrain said: “To be able to invest in Ecomagination in this way positions globally the GE Manufacturing & Technology Center as a key project that focuses on promoting environmental sustainability in the manufacturing sector. The lighting enhancements will help eliminate carbon emissions and generate significant cost savings both factors that strengthen operational efficiency of the Center. Through this, we are further underlining our commitment to promote sustainable development initiatives in the Kingdom.”

As a part of Ecomagination, GE is investing in cleaner technology and business innovation, developing solutions to enable economic growth while avoiding emissions and reducing water consumption.

Between 2005 and 2014, GE invested US$15 billion on Ecomagination R&D, generating over US$200 billion in revenue through Ecomagination-qualified products. Internally, GE has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 31 percent and fresh water use by 42 percent company-wide.

Accelerating the progress in environmental sustainability, GE is investing an additional US$10 billion by 2020 with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and fresh water use across its facilities by 20 percent from the 2011 baseline. Energy efficiency projects, such as the new undertaking in Dammam, are happening globally across GE and aim to accelerate GE’s progress towards the 2020 Ecomagination goals.
The GE Manufacturing & Technology Center includes a manufacturing facility of high technology equipment for the power, water and oil and gas industries; a service and repair shop for advanced turbine equipment; and a training center that will offer the latest technology and managerial courses for college students, field engineers and other power industry professionals throughout the region.

GE’s heavy-duty gas turbines, the world’s largest and most efficient that lead the industry in output while using less gas-per-megawatt than any other turbine on the market, can be manufactured at the center. It will roll out the first ‘Made in Saudi’ gas turbine this year. The center already exports parts to 70 customers in 30 countries including Europe and to the US and supports a robust local supply chain of Saudi SMEs.

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