Predictions 2017: GE president and CEO for MENAT Nabil Habayeb

We entered 2016 riding on the remarkable response that we gained from the launch of our industrial internet solutions in the region. This could not have come at a more opportune moment.

The impact of the oil price volatility, and subsequent infrastructure investment roll-backs, reflected in a stronger call for economic and industrial diversification for creating more jobs for nationals and to strengthening the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector.

GE’s internal evolution as a digital industrial company is thus a natural fit to the requirements of the region.

Through 2016, we strengthened our partnerships across MENAT to support our partners to deploy industrial internet technologies that bring unprecedented enhancements in their operational efficiency.

The integration of heavy machinery with advanced analytics enables them to get connected and gain insights for increased productivity. We also marked new investments in localised manufacturing underpinned by the expansion of the GE Manufacturing & Technology Center in Dammam, which now manufactures heavy duty gas turbines in Saudi for the world.

Transformational change comes from a culture of localised innovation, and we formed partnerships with leading entities including the UAE Ministry of Economy, Saudi Arabian Industrial Investments Company, Saudi Aramco and Masdar City to identify innovative digital solutions in areas including energy and healthcare.

Across all our initiatives, the goal has been to create a vibrant ecosystem that covers all touch-points – from technology deployment to promoting innovation and building the local SME value chain. This is reflected in our focus on strengthening the skills of local youth through partnerships with academic institutions and by nurturing the local entrepreneurship ecosystems. The GE Ecomagination Innovation Center in Masdar City, the GE Saudi Innovation & Technology Center and the newly opened Kuwait Technology Center are all robust examples of how we nurture the next generation of talent.

In Saudi Arabia, over 150 Saudi SME suppliers are partnering with us in making parts for gas turbine systems at GEMTEC. We aim to double the supplier base in the next three years.

Having set the fundamentals and by supporting the region to address economic volatilities through new investments, strategic partnerships and highly efficient manufacturing systems, we see 2017 as a promising year, where our advanced technology capabilities will help achieve more tangible benefits for our partners.

In the power sector we are bringing our H-class turbines, the world’s largest and most efficient gas turbines that offer unprecedented levels of reliability and fuel flexibility. GE was recognised by the Guinness World Records for powering the world’s most efficient combined-cycle power plant, based on an achieved efficiency rate of up to 62.22 per cent achieved using the HA turbine at the Bouchain plant in France.

Our oil and gas business has strengthened its regional presence through the Pressure Control Manufacturing Facility, the Multi-Modal Manufacturing Center, and its partnership with Saudi Aramco and Cividale SpA to build the MENA region’s first-of-its-kind Forging & Casting Manufacturing Facility.

We are closer to our customers than ever before, assuring timely maintenance and repair services for power plants with the Global Repairs Solutions Jebel Ali Service Center. We are also expanding our digital footprint in the aluminium industry through our partnership with IIT Madras.

In the UAE, we will also contribute to cleaner air in line with the UAE Government Accelerator Programme, by working with Emirates Global Aluminium and the UAE Ministry of Climate Change & Environment.

Through the application of digitisation across all our businesses we have set a new template for the next wave of growth for our partners. With our culture of simplification, and by drawing on GE Store, our global marketplace of ideas and innovations, we see a new era of opportunities for growth in the region.

By delivering on positive and tangible benefits for our partners, we continue to be the partner in progress – reinventing ourselves and our technologies to meet the shifting requirements of our partners in an ever-changing economic environment.