GE partners with #GMIS2021 to explore the benefits of digitisation

Through joint thought leadership and knowledge sharing activities, GE will collaborate with the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit (GMIS) to support manufacturers in deploying digitisation, lean processes and safety protocols to improve efficiencies, eliminate waste, lower costs, increase productivity and uptime, and enhance employee satisfaction.

The fourth edition of the Summit (#GMIS2021) offers a unique international platform to share lessons and explore opportunities around these three crucial enablers, as leaders from the global manufacturing and technology communities engage in discussion and debate to shape the future of manufacturing and industrialisation.

GE has a 130-year manufacturing heritage with operations across the globe in the critical sectors of energy, healthcare and aviation, and complemented by expertise in digitisation and additive manufacturing. The company operates more than 1,000 manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul facilities in 130 countries around the world.

In 2010, GE’s Haiphong factory manufacturing wind turbine generators and components was put into operation. Up to 2020, this factory has exported more than 6,000 wind generator systems, creating an annual export value of a hundred million US dollars.

GE Power has GE Dung Quat (GEDQ), which is one of two GE factories in the world specialising in manufacturing cutting-edge heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) technology systems.

The facility plays a vital role in GE Global Supply Chain through helping to meet the growing demand for combined-cycle power plant solutions and providing added scale, global manufacturing footprint, and technology for GE.

In a total area of 159,000 square metres, GEDQ houses 340 skilled workers and 200 professional contractors working to help global customers boost engineering productivity power output while increasing domestic values by locally sourcing 50 per cent of direct input materials.

Nabil Habayeb, GE senior vice president

“GE will share learnings from its deployment of digitisation, its ongoing implementation of lean manufacturing principles, and its clear prioritising of safety, as well as how these support sustained manufacturing excellence for GE, our partners, and our customers,” said Nabil Habayeb, senior vice president, GE and president and CEO of GE International Markets.

#GMIS2021 will position industrialisation at the centre of the global dialogue, reinforcing the sector’s important role in driving economic growth and global prosperity.

The Summit will explore the importance of data intelligence and connectivity and the evolving mechanisms of interaction between humans and machines in the context of Industry 4.0. It creates important opportunities to ensure digitisation, lean manufacturing, and workplace safety are integrated into the future of industrialisation.

“Together, GMIS and GE will leverage their network and expertise to drive digitisation, industrialisation and thought-leadership to deliver insights and support to the global manufacturing community across every line of business,” Badr Al-Olama, head of the GMIS Organising Committee. “As manufacturers across the world move towards the next level of industrialisation by tapping into advanced technologies such as AI, robotics, the Internet of Things, blockchain and other transformative innovations, this partnership will be a key enabler in shaping the future of the global manufacturing industry.”

Badr Al-Olama, head of the GMIS Organising Committee

The lean methodology has been championed at GE by company chairman and CEO Larry Culp, who has prioritised lean across the organisation as a way to foster continuous process improvement.

In manufacturing, the lean approach identifies systems and activities that do not add value for customers. By eliminating these unproductive elements and streamlining operations, manufacturing teams can reduce costs, improve quality, shrink turnaround times, and deliver better value.

At GE Haiphong, lean best practices have helped to drive a 60 per cent increase in year-over-year revenue in 2019. At GE Dung Quat, lean practices have helped to identify more than 100 innovative ideas that help the site operate more efficiently, with 40 per cent increase in capacity, a 25 per cent reduction in production cycle, creating a safe, high-quality, and lean working environment.

Safety, the third manufacturing enabler, is GE’s number one priority. “Our employees are our most important assets,” said Habayeb, “so we are very clear about this one simple focus: keeping our people safe.”

Through continually revised best-practice processes, procedures, trainings, data, tracking, reviews, standards, and other tools, a commitment to safety not only protects employees but also reinforces excellence in all GE processes and operations.

The fourth edition of the Summit (#GMIS2021) is slated to be held at EXPO’s Dubai Exhibition Centre from November 22-27, 2021.