GE to invest Rs 331 lakh in research & engineering

GE, adding 400 people every year for 10 years at the John F Welch Technology Center (JFWTC), will be expanding the capabilities of the centre at an investment of Rs 331 lakh ($60 million).

The investment, which is focused on expanding the technology centre here includes setting up experimental labs and its infrastructure includes leading-edge research and engineering in areas of critical importance, the company said here on Thursday.

The centre would conduct research and engineering in cancer treatment and radiochemistry and other technology applications in healthcare, locomotive engines, heavy earth moving equipment and equipment for the energy sector, said Gopichand Katragadda, MD, GE India Technology Center (John F Welch Technology Centre).

The centre, established in September, 2000 here, is GE's first and largest integrated multi-disciplinary R&D and engineering centre outside the US. Investing heavily in advanced IT-enabled laboratories, the centre is among the leading engineering innovation across GE's diverse businesses.

The GE's John F Welch Technology Centre is set to touch 5,000 employees by the end of the year, according to Katragadda. Meanwhile, over the last decade, the Centre alone has contributed to over 1,850 patents being filed by GE, the parent company.

GE has been trying to get to 15-20 per cent savings in many of the devices it has been manufacturing. According to industry sources, the cost savings on many of the products through defeaturing has been to the tune of 50 per cent or more in many products. The company has particularly been aggressive in the healthcare sector. It has been able to remove two-thirds on the costs in the case of many devices.

Meanwhile, the company is investing about $200 million in a manufacturing facility in Pune.