GE Debuts ‘Industrial Internet’ Technologies

GE has announced eight new industrial service technologies and a joint venture with Accenture that GE says will potentially cut $150 billion in waste across major sectors.

The new technologies combine product diagnostics software and analytics, and will connect machines to machines, machines to people, and machines to business operations allowing airlines, railroads, hospitals, manufacturing and energy companies to operate more efficiently and reduce costs, the company says.

The products and services include:

• RailConnect Transportation Management System and Movement Planner System, which uses analytics to give real-time access to information so railroads can move more freight faster and more intelligently. A one percent efficiency improvement for North American Class 1 railroads represents $600 million or more in annual savings, GE says. In terms of network velocity, Norfolk Southern, a large North America Class I Railroad and a launch customer, estimates that for every 1 mph increase in network speed, it saves as much as $200 million in annual capital and operating expenses.
• Grid IQ Solutions as a Service (SaaS), which allows utilities to monitor, manage and control their grid more intelligently. SaaS uses cloud computing and GE says it can be deployed in 50 percent less time than traditional turnkey project models and at 10 percent of the estimated implementation cost. The launch customer for this product is Electric Cities of Georgia and the City of Norcross, Ga.
• Aviation’s Fuel & Carbon Solutions, which uses proprietary algorithms to evaluate airline operations data and identify opportunities to reduce fuel consumption by more than 2 percent. An average-sized airline could cut annual fuel costs by $20 million and CO2 emissions by 60 metric tons by implementing this system, GE says. Air Asia is the launch customer.
• Flex Efficiency Advantage, a real-time monitoring service for power generation equipment, which GE says can increase energy output by five percent. This equals a total of $1 billion in new value for power plants, GE says. The launch customer is Korean Southern Power Co.
• Subsea Integrity Management technology, an underwater remote monitoring system. The software receives data from sensors measuring vibration, temperature, and leak detection for well heads, manifolds and production stations. GE says deepwater asset spend is expected to exceed $225 billion by 2015; coupled with more than $15 billion per year in lost production, GE says the system will save companies like Shell — the launch customer — money in the near and long term.
• Real-Time Operational Intelligence (RtOI) software, which gives manufacturers a plant-wide perspective on operations. Increased operator efficiency can help reduce recalls by about 20 percent, and make manufacturers less susceptible to the $10 million in brand damage typically associated with a product recall, GE says. The launch customer is JHP Pharmaceuticals.
• DoseWatch, which provides physicians visibility into radiation dosing, and
• Hospital Operations Management (HOM), which integrates bed assignment, departmental workflow, patient flow, transport and equipment management.

Additionally, GE Aviation and Accenture have unveiled a joint venture, Taleris, which will use aircraft performance data, prognostics, recovery and planning to improve a plane’s efficiency. The companies say a launch customer will be announced shortly.