Sponsored: GE unit in Dubai creates online marketplace for industrial services

A regional unit of GE has created a new online marketplace for industrial services.

Called SourceNow, the solution aims to help source skilled and specialised industrial services in large sectors such as power generation and oil and gas.

It offers a one stop shop for industrial services providers and buyers, particularly small and medium enterprises and creates a marketplace where buyers can float electronic requests for quotes to suppliers.

It has been developed by a small start-up team within GE’s Power Services Middle East and Africa (MEA) business, based in Dubai.

“Every day we experience numerous digital platforms, from consuming goods to ordering services,” said Michelle Wu, CIO and VP of Digital Technology for GE’s Power Services business in the MEA.

“The business-to-consumer (B2C) digital sector has been very robust in fulfilling demands. However, in the business-to-business (B2B) space, the digital experience has been slower to catch on, especially in the industrial services sector.

“The process of identifying the right people and service providers can require a significant investment in time and effort to accommodate the complexity of many industrial services requirements.”

The solution, which was launched in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt, saw over 480 registered industrial services users within a few weeks.

They offer more than 20 different categories of industrial services, such as welding and fabrication, machining, shop repairs, equipment rentals and manpower.

An organisation in any of these four countries can register on SourceNow as a supplier providing services, a buyer looking for services, or both.

The launch of the new marketplace comes at a time when the Middle East region is investing heavily in its digital transformation. A recent study by Digital McKinsey found that the digital market could add $95bn per year to the Middle East’s annual GDP by 2020.

“Around the world, the list of digitally enabled ideas disrupting traditional business models grows larger by the day,” said Wu.

“These ideas all have one thing in common: they satisfy real market demands.”

SourceNow is developed on Predix – GE’s platform for the industrial internet – purposely built to meet the scale, complexity, speed, and security requirements of industry.

Looking ahead, GE’s Power Services MEA unit is looking to scale up the solution to operate in more markets and to offer services across more industries, from power to aviation, rail, healthcare and more.

To find out more about SourceNow by GE, please visit http://www.sourcenowbyge.com