General Electric (GE), the company founded by Thomas Edison in 1892, was established on the ground-breaking invention of the first commercially viable incandescent lightbulb. Main Canaan, Regional General Manager of Sales at GE Aerospace, says, “GE was built on innovation over the last 130 years, and I believe in the next 130 years, we will continue this legacy.”
Today, the organization is a leader in the healthcare, energy, and aerospace sectors, bringing solutions to communities around the world through transformational technologies. The company is in the midst of an evolution that will see the creation of three independent companies focused on these industries: GE HealthCare will spin off in January 2023, and GE Aerospace and GE Vernova, the portfolio of energy businesses, will follow in 2024. Sustainability, integrity, and innovation will remain at the core of all three companies.
A partner to the MENA region
The MENA region is unique. It benefits from a large market base, a young and increasingly educated population, and a strategic geographic location. It is well known for abundant natural energy resources, a forward-thinking aviation industry, and its focus on digital advancements in the healthcare sector. A sustainable approach in all three industries provides the MENA region with the opportunity to build new paths to growth, shape access to capital, and align with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Supporting the development of the MENA region, GE has shown its dedication to providing reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy, healthcare, and air transportation.
In the energy sector, GE is focused on the energy transition, and ensuring the energy trilemma of sustainability, affordability, and reliability is addressed. Dr. Dalya Al Muthanna, President – UAE and Global Head of Strategy & Operations, GE International Markets explains that the development of technologies and solutions is vital not only for the MENA region, but for the world. Becoming more sustainable “…is not a one-size-fits-all approach, and the answer doesn't sit within one specific technology or fuel, but rather a combination of technologies and energy sources.”
The central geographic location of the MENA region has also stimulated the development of the aviation sector. The efforts made by GE in aerospace to innovate toward greater sustainability are aligned with the decarbonization goals outlined by regional leadership. In addition to providing aircraft engines and services, GE has implemented data monitoring to track the health of its engines and utilized data-driven algorithms to increase efficiencies. Mr. Canaan elaborates, “The challenging environment in this region – the hot temperature, and the sand in the air – challenge the technology and push us to be better.”
In the healthcare sector, GE enables the greater sustainability of infrastructure through precision health. As Hady El Khoury, General Manager, MENEAT, GE Healthcare explains, with 4%-5% of global greenhouse gas emissions generated by the healthcare sector, digital and remote evolution is no longer just a convenient approach – it is a necessary trend. Mr. El Khoury affirms, “We connect our engineers remotely, so they don't have to travel miles to get to sites and come back.” As a result, with solutions that provide real-time feedback, GE now fully can fix 30% of faults remotely and can address over 90% of issues with only one visit, substantially reducing carbon emissions from transportation.
