• Investment highlights GE's continuing commitment to global water treatment industry
MINNETONKA, MN, Feb. 16, 2010 -- GE is creating a world-class "Center of Excellence" (COE) for manufacturing reverse osmosis, nanofiltration and ultrafiltration spiral-wound membranes in its Minnetonka, Minnesota facility. A GE COE brings together the company's most advanced capabilities and expertise to focus on a key technology sector. The Minnetonka COE will integrate technology development, manufacturing capacity and quality control for membrane production, all under one roof.
To meet customer demands for improved overall membrane quality and reduced manufacturing costs, GE is substantially expanding and upgrading the equipment in the Minnetonka plant. This automated, streamlined facility will allow the company to sharpen its competitive focus and increase overall efficiency to help support the growing needs of customers in the United States and around the world.
As part of its overall strategy to build a COE to supply high rejection seawater and brackish membranes, last year GE relocated its element auto-winder from Watertown, Mass. to Minnesota. That equipment has been upgraded and it currently is operating in the Minnetonka plant. The initial production of advanced thin film flat sheet membranes has increased GE's capability and capacity to provide state-of-the-art membranes to customers worldwide.
Further supporting the development of the Minnetonka COE, GE will relocate and integrate the dairy and industrial process membrane capabilities of its Vista, California operations into the Minnesota site. The move is intended to increase GE's capabilities and capacity to grow in this key market sector.
The combination of these investments and increased technology developments, supported by 35 active and pending patents, continues to position GE as a premier supplier of membrane-based technology solutions for brackish water, seawater desalination, wastewater, water reuse, dairy processing and industrial processing applications. The enhanced capabilities of the core facility in Minnetonka will enable GE to offer higher quality products with longer life cycles, providing customers with increased value from their initial investments.
GE will continue its broad-based filter, membrane and RO system manufacturing capabilities in Minnesota, reinforcing the company's role as the world's only supplier of integrated products for the filtration and separation sector of the water processing industry.
The Minnetonka COE joins several other similar facilities worldwide, including a nearly $10 million GE Saudi Water & Process Technology Center that was inaugurated last year in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. This facility joins a GE COE in Dubai to help customers meet the growing water treatment and reuse requirements of the Middle East.
GE is a world leader in membrane and filtration, diagnostic tools, specialty chemicals, mobile water, service, and financing, GE offers the broadest portfolio of global expertise and local capabilities. The company invests in forward looking water and process technologies, leveraging the best practices of GE's ecomagination, to help customers balance environmental and economic goals. As an innovative team, GE develops unique partnerships to deliver reliable, long-term solutions for communities, governments and industry that maximize water and energy resources.
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