Investing in Bahrain; GE Opens New Office and Technology Center

1. Facility to Support Power Generation, Industrial and Petrochemical Customer Needs in Bahrain and the Region
2. Includes GE Energy’s Customer Application Center and adjacent assembly and systems testing facility

Building on a commitment to provide enhanced levels of service and support for customers in the Kingdom of Bahrain and around the region, GE today opened its new office and technology center. The facility will house more than 100 employees, including engineering and service specialists. It will include GE Energy’s Customer Application Center, featuring Optimization and Control technology, assembly and testing capability.

The new facility will enable faster response to meet the needs of GE’s regional municipal, utility and industrial customers and is a reflection of GE’s growing commitment to support the Kingdom’s infrastructure development, particularly in the area of energy. The new technology center was officially opened during a ceremony with His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Bin Essa Al-Khalifa, Chief Executive of The Bahrain Economic Development Board.

The opening of this new office is part of GE’s strategy to expand its local operations in the Kingdom of Bahrain and around the region. The office will be enable GE to more effectively expand its Power, Water, Oil & Gas, Aviation and Enterprise Solutions businesses while creating more job opportunities for the Bahraini population.

Nabil Habayeb, President & CEO, GE Middle East and Africa, said: “GE’s new facility in the Kingdom of Bahrain demonstrates GE’s long-term commitment to invest in the region to support the Middle East’s economic and infrastructure development. By ensuring our technical, operation, engineering and commercial resources are located closer to our customers, we can rapidly respond to their needs in any part of the Kingdom and throughout the region. The new facility also reflects our localization and knowledge sharing strategy, expanding opportunities for local employment and training in high-tech engineering positions for the new generation of Bahrainis.”

An important feature of the new office is its Customer Application Center (CAC) with product demonstration and training areas, where educational programs, conferences, product training and hands-on operational experience will be offered to customers as well as the ability to conduct systems testing.

“With a long-standing presence and over 1,000 gas turbines installed in the Middle East, GE Energy has developed a successful track record with the public and private sectors based on delivering innovative and tailored energy solutions, as well as growing our presence, which is now established throughout the region,” said Joe Anis, GE Energy Regional Executive and General Manager for the Middle East. “As the Kingdom of Bahrain’s demand for reliable power and sustainable water supply continues to increase, GE Energy is committed to support the country’s goals for energy security, efficiency and reduced environmental impact with world-class technologies to foster sustainable energy infrastructure growth.”

New Center Offers Benefits for Customers
GE Energy’s new CAC will allow customers to witness, through demonstrations and hands-on experience with advanced technology equipment, how GE’s latest plant optimization and control technology can help improve plant efficiency and reliability. In addition, customers’ power generation technical teams will have the opportunity to learn first-hand how they can incorporate the latest in remote condition monitoring technology and control systems to boost the performance of their plants. Training on the company’s various technologies also will be offered at the new center.

Another feature of the new GE office is a 1,100 square meter testing facility, which offers customers across all energy sectors the convenience of conducting local factory acceptance testing on their optimization systems.

The new center in Bahrain is similar to facilities established by GE Energy in Florence, Italy; Singapore; Shanghai, China; Houston, USA and Moscow, Russia.

As part of its knowledge-sharing commitment to Bahrain and the region, GE already has launched a Graduate Management Program for engineering students. The Program offers valuable educational and work experience to engineering graduates by providing graduates with first-hand experience in working with GE. This 12-month, post-graduate program offers participants practical work experience in a challenging global environment

About GE:
GE (NYSE: GE) is an innovative and diversified technology company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, healthcare, and television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company’s website at www.ge.com or www.ge.com/mea, for more information about GE in Bahrain please visit the website www.ge.com/bh.

For more information, contact:
Rania Rostom
GE Communications Manager, Middle East & Africa
GE
Tel: +9714 429 6311
Email: rania.rostom@ge.com

Lamia Jaroudi
Region Communications Manager, Middle East
GE Energy
Email: lamia.jaroudi@ge.com