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• Multimillion Euro Expansion Enhances GE’s Regional Customer Service Capabilities;
• Latest Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Technologies to be Serviced;
• Europe, Middle East and Africa Regions Covered by GE’s Rheden Service Center.
The expanded GE Rheden service center adds improved infrastructure and capabilities to support the company’s current and future customers in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region (EMEA).
The GE Rheden Service Center expansion was dedicated during a ceremony yesterday attended by M. J.M. Verhagen, minister of economic affairs, agriculture and innovation for the Netherlands; Edwin “Ned” Nolan, chargé d’affaires of the U.S. Embassy in the Netherlands; Mr. C.G.A. Cornielje, the Queen’s commissioner of the province of Gelderland; and Mrs. P. van Wingerden-Boers, mayor of Rheden. Representing GE were Ferdinando Beccalli-Falco, president and CEO—GE Europe as well as Roland Teixeira, country executive—GE Benelux.
The expansion was built to help GE meet the needs of its growing aeroderivative gas turbine customer base in key regions around the world. 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.
"This project serves as an example of the concerted efforts of government, business and academia to make new investments in the high-tech sector, which has a long history in the Netherlands," Minister Verhagen said. “This investment will not only create profits and jobs, but also products and services that help us to meet social challenges and to increase people’s quality of life in the area of sustainable energy production.”
By expanding the Rheden service center, GE is able to offer complete ”Level 4” overhaul, maintenance and training on its aeroderivative gas turbines.[1] It offers advanced services by specially trained technicians who perform assembly, inspections and repairs on all GE’s FlexAero units operating in the region. GE’s Rheden Service Center also provides on-site gas turbine testing, a regional parts support center and a field service dispatch center for onshore and offshore customer support.
“GE is committed to providing solutions that drive customer success and productivity, as evidenced by the expansion of the Rheden service center,” Teixeira said. “We are continuing to invest in infrastructure to support the development and service of technology that powers the world. This region and its customers are important to us, and we remain committed to providing the capacity and technology to meet our customer’s growing needs to enable their success.”
The Rheden facility has rapidly grown in both personnel and importance to GE in recent years, noted Paul de Boer, managing director of the GE Rheden site.
“GE started in Rheden in 1999 with a small workshop including 35 employees,” de Boer said. “In the last 10 years, this business has grown steadily to 150 employees. In 2009, the Rheden facility was positioned as the regional center of excellence for aeroderivative gas turbines. To maintain the highest service standards for our customers, we have increased the workforce to almost 250 employees, with a continuing focus on state-of-the-art training. We remain committed to continuously improving our processes, as demonstrated by new repair developments and creative solutions to improve turnaround time and drive on-time delivery.”
According to de Boer, GE's continued investment in research and development of aircraft engine technology enables FlexAero 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.
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.
“Over the past 10 years, 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 Darryl Wilson, president and CEO—aeroderivative gas turbines for GE Power & Water. “The expanded facility in Rheden, combined with a new facility dedicated in the United Kingdom earlier this year, sends a clear message to our customers in the growing regions in Africa, Middle East and Europe that GE’s aeroderivative gas turbines business is committed to maximizing customer uptime by providing them with world-class products, services, training and support.”
GE’s fuel-flexible technologies also continue to support the expanded use of gas-fired, combined heat and power (CHP) plants to improve industrial energy security in the Netherlands and around the world. For example, in addition to the Rheden facility, GE also operates a Jenbacher gas engine center of excellence in Alblasserdam in the western part of the country. This center specializes in developing onsite CHP solutions for the global commercial greenhouse industry—especially in the Netherlands, an important horticultural hub in Europe.
About GE
GE (ge.com) 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.
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 90,000 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.
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