Plans multi-modal manufacturing unit
General Electric, the diversified global corporation, is set to expand its presence in India by widening its research and development centre in Bangalore. The company is also looking at setting up a multi-modal manufacturing base in India.
The flagship R&D centre in Bangalore - John F Welch Technology Centre, which does R&D for various businesses of GE, employs around 5,000 people and is expected to be ramped upto close to 8,000 in three years time.
GE further added that it is planning to set up a manufacturing base in India with an investment upto a maximum of $50 million. The location of the plant is expected to be finalised by end of 2010 and construction will start by next year.
John L Flannery, president & CEO, GE India said in Bangalore that several of GE's businesses in India would share the proposed manufacturing unit which will be spread over half a million square feet. The company is yet to finalise the verticals the unit would focus on. Given the demand in a certain industry, the company will decide on the industry the facility will focus on.
The technology infrastructure of GE India comprises of healthcare, transportation, aviation and enterprise solutions. And, the energy infrastructure comprises energy, oil & gas and water & process technologies. These manufacturing units are through joint ventures like that between GE and BHEL for turbines and locomotive engines, GE and Wipro for healthcare, GE and Eureka Forbes for their clean water technology, GE and NDTV for entertainment and GE and SBI for finance. GE India, employs close to 12,000 people across India.
Sanjay M Correa, Vice-President and Managing Director of the GE India Technology Centre, said that during the past decade of John F Welch Technology Centre in India, GE has invested $175 million in this integrated multi-disciplinary research and product development centre.
The centre has also seen over 1,000 patents being filed of which over 140 have been granted.
Correa said the technology centre here is working on key technologies that will help roll-out products in healthcare and energy including generators using bio-mass, high-density batteries, hybrid locomotives and thin-film solar and digital pathology, in the coming months.
Discussing growth plans for GE in India, Flannery said they will foray into the nuclear power business in India as the market develops in the country. One of the reactors at the Tarapur Power Station in Tarapur in Maharashtra incidentally was supplied by GE in 1963.
GE Global Research Senior Vice-President and Director Mark M Little said the company plans to open a technology centre in Brazil. It will be the fourth one outside the US.
