InnoTrans 2014: GE Transportation Partners with Rail Customers to Harness the Industrial Internet; Strengthen Local Economies

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Sep 23, 2014, 01:17 ET

BERLIN, Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- GE Transportation continues to harness the power of the Industrial Internet for its rail customers, while it strengthens their local economies with partnership and investment for localized manufacturing capabilities of locomotives and other rail technologies.

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RailConnect™ 360
At InnoTrans 2014, GE Transportation will showcase RailConnect 360, a connected suite of customizable software solutions to help solve the industry's most pressing problems. RailConnect 360 leverages GE's deep domain expertise and the power of the Industrial Internet to offer mission-critical information to help rail operations eliminate manual processing, improve information flow, increase productivity and decrease costs.

"At GE, we're constantly developing innovative technology to overcome challenges and keep the industry moving forward," said GE Transportation senior vice president, president and CEO Russell Stokes. "Our continued innovations in the RailConnect 360 suite further illustrate our unwavering commitment to leveraging intelligent machines to deliver breakthrough levels of efficiency and productivity for our customers and help address the industry's most pressing issues."

GE Transportation's RailConnect 360 solutions will be on display at InnoTrans inside the Messe Berlin Exhibit Hall 6.2a, stand #501.

Strengthening Local Transportation Markets
GE Transportation is committed to developing localized solutions for its customers and strengthening the manufacturing capabilities in its customers' markets through partnership and investment.

Kazakhstan
GE Transportation has had a longstanding relationship with its customers in Kazakhstan to build capabilities in the region and support economic growth. For the last 15 years, GE has been localizing its solutions for Kazakhstan and the surrounding region. GE first partnered with Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) to develop Kazakhstan's rail infrastructure. GE has since opened two manufacturing facilities in Kazakhstan. Representing the latest chapter in the companies' long history of strategic partnership, GE and KTZ committed in September of 2012 to manufacture more than 100 GE Evolution Series Passenger Locomotives in Astana, Kazakhstan. The first prototype unit was delivered this month and further production will start in 2015.

Brazil
Brazil is another location where GE Transportation is making local investments to solve challenges and improve capabilities for the Brazilian market. GE will be showing its new Evolution ES43BBi locomotive customized specifically for the Brazilian market with the goal of having 60 percent of the content be local. The eight axle AC model developed by GE is the first locomotive to accommodate Brazil's meter gauge tracks. The locomotive will also provide a 100 percent increase in cargo capacity, while decreasing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by 80 percent.

"We're proud to bring the ES43BBi model to market, because we recognized the need for a customized locomotive in Brazil," Stokes said.

South Africa
GE's partnership with South Africa has expanded tremendously in 2014. GE has had a strong partnership with Transnet since 2009. Earlier this year, GE announced it will partner with Transnet to build 233 Evolution Series locomotives to be delivered starting in the second half of 2015.

Additionally, GE announced in June that it has made a ZAR 700 million ($700 million) investment in localization with the creation of a Customer Innovation Center and a supplier development program. In the last year, the partnership with Transnet has expanded outside of South Africa, as it begins to export locomotives to the rest of the continent.

Other African nations
GE Transportation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to supply Angola with 100 locomotives. In Mozambique, GE delivered 10 locomotives to Caminhos de Ferro Mocambique (CFM) earlier this year. The company is continuing to work with Nigeria and Kenya on their rolling stock needs.

PowerHaul™ Series Locomotive for Europe, Middle East & North Africa
PowerHaul locomotives are among the most technologically advanced, fuel-efficient and low-emissions, diesel-electric locomotives in GE's fleet. Launched at InnoTrans in 2010, it has become a global platform for GE and is currently serving the United Kingdom, Korea, Australia, Europe and Turkey. Designed for high-haulage capability with lighter axle-load applications, the PowerHaul locomotive is engineered to generate more horsepower and tractive effort while lowering fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Trackside at G1-8, the company will showcase its PowerHaul locomotive which was produced through the GE Transportation–TULOMSAS partnership at TULOMSAS Facilities in Eskisehir Turkey. GE Transportation has partnered with TULOMSAS to manufacture state-of-the-art PowerHaul locomotives for the Turkish State Railways (TCDD) as well as customers in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. In 2014 TULOMSAS-GE Transportation partnership will produce and deliver 10 locomotives for TCDD and 10 locomotives for European customers.

Evolution™ Series Locomotive Innovation
An Evolution engine, which powers GE Transportation's industry-leading Evolution Series locomotives, will be on display nearby in Tent FA-6. Introduced in 2005 and the result of a 10-year, $400 million investment, the Evolution Series is an incredible combination of power, performance and efficiency. These locomotives provide measurably higher reliability and lower lifecycle costs than previous GE Transportation models. There are more than 5,000 Evolution Series locomotives in service around the world, with local production taking place in majority of these locations.

For more information and to follow GE Transportation's activities at the show, please visit, getransportation.com/innotrans.

About GE Transportation
At GE Transportation, we're in the business of realizing potential. We're a global technology leader and supplier to the rail, mining, marine, stationary power and drilling industries. Our innovations help customers deliver goods and services with greater speed and greater savings using our advanced manufacturing techniques and connected machines. Established more than a century ago, GE Transportation is a division of the General Electric Company that began as a pioneer in passenger and freight locomotives. That innovative spirit still drives GE Transportation today. It's the engine of change that puts us at the forefront of innovation and technology, where we continue to realize new potential and keep our connected world moving forward. GE Transportation is headquartered in Chicago, IL, and employs approximately 12,000 employees worldwide. For more information, please visit http://www.getransportation.com.

SOURCE GE Transportation