GE: Millions of $ for greener refrigeration
GE plans to invest nearly a half-billion dollars to create four new design and manufacturing centres for refrigerations technologies in the US.
With a total price-tag of $432 million, the new facilities are aimed at revitalising GE’s appliances business and producing greener, “smarter” and more energy-efficient products. The centres, expected to create 500 new green jobs by 2014, will be located in Louisville, Kentucky.; Bloomington, Indiana; Decatur, Alabama; and Selmer, Tennessee.
“With lean manufacturing and advanced design, we believe that American workers can compete with any in the world,” said Charlene Begley, president and CEO of GE Home & Business Solutions. “In addition, our employees and union leaders have agreed to innovative wage agreements that further increase the competitiveness of these plants.”
“Appliances is no longer a ‘white goods’ business,” added James P. Campbell, president and CEO of GE Appliances & Lighting. “Customers increasingly expect styles, features, configurations and efficiency well beyond the white boxes of yesteryear.”
GE will invest $43 million to create a centre of excellence for top-freezers and “green” manufacturing at the Alabama plant. This is in addition to a $16 million investment made earlier this year to transition to a new product insulation process.
A significant portion of the investment also will be used to reduce the environmental impact of the refrigerator manufacturing process. Units being redesigned in Louisville, Bloomington and Decatur will be manufactured using a new “greener” foam insulating process, which will reduce the overall CO2 or greenhouse gas emissions at these sites by 90 per cent or 687,000 metric tonnes per year.
All of the new products are being designed to meet the anticipated 2014 Energy Star standards. Most will incorporate smart-grid technology. GE’s line of “smart” products allows consumers to control their energy consumption and save money in areas where dynamic pricing options are offered.
