Buenos Aires, Argentina, June 22, 2009 - - GE Consumer & Industrial announced today that it expanded a production facility in Brazil, to include the development and localization of global standard commercial and residential electrical products for Latin America. The expansion is part of GE’s efforts to increase the sales of electrical distribution products in Argentina by 20 percent. To lead the development and localization efforts of electrical distribution products in Latin America, GE Consumer & Industrial tapped a technology leader from GE’s Center of Excellence in Bangalore, India.

GE Consumer & Industrial plans to grow its International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) electrical distribution business in the region, giving GE Consumer & Industrial the ability to develop and localize IEC electrical protection and control technology.  

The expansion allows GE to increase production electrical components by 20 percent throughout Latin America, with nearly 40 percent of that production destined for exports to other Latin America countries, Asia and North America.  In Argentina, GE plans to raise electrical distribution sales by 20 percent by 2010.

“Centralizing our technical expertise and production in Latin America is key to better serving our residential and commercial customers, while growing our presence in Argentina’s IEC market,” said Eduardo Gainsburg, General Manager of GE Consumer & Industrial in Argentina.

The production facility expansion in Latin America enhances service for customers in Argentina by offering reduced logistics costs due to increased product inventory and more efficient supply chain, and faster local product certifications due to products being manufactured in Latin America based on local market certification standards

A fast growing market of IEC products for GE Consumer & Industrial, Argentina’s high rate of OEM exports and consumption of industrial components is primarily led by the country’s top export industries, including infrastructure and commercial segments (real estate, construction, roads).

GE C&I has xx locations in Argentina and XX employees.

New Technology Manager Ranjit Deshmukh will be responsible for growing industrial product lines in Latin America, specifically in low-and medium-voltage equipment solutions. Deshmukh recently relocated to Brazil from GE’s Center of Excellence in Bangalore, where he built and led the residential and controls product team to develop a world-class testing and development facility.

The expanded facility in Brazil will continue to manufacture NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association) electrical distribution products for Latin America, a US electrical standard.

 About GE Consumer & Industrial

GE Consumer & Industrial spans the globe as an industry leader in major appliances, lighting and integrated industrial equipment, systems and services. Providing solutions for commercial, industrial and residential use in more than 100 countries, GE Consumer & Industrial uses innovative technologies and ecomagination^SM, a GE initiative to aggressively bring to market new technologies that help customers and consumers meet pressing environmental challenges, to deliver comfort, convenience and electrical protection and control. General Electric (NYSE: GE), imagination at work, sells products under the Monogram®, Profile™, GE®, Hotpoint®, SmartWater™, Reveal® and Energy Smart® consumer brands, and Entellisys®, Tetra®, Vio™ and Immersion® commercial brands. For more information, consumers may visit www.ge.com.

Globally, GE Consumer & Industrial is comprised of two operating units - Appliances and Lighting & Industrial. In Latin America and the Caribbean, GE Consumer & Industrial is comprised of 3,000 employees and its products are present in 25 countries and territories.  The company's Lighting & Industrial business is dedicated to the manufacturing and commercialization of GE’s lighting and electrical distribution products, and supports the region’s most vital industries, including mining, oil and gas, hospitality, retail, residential and commercial construction.

About GE

GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.ge.com. GE is Imagination at Work.

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Media Contact: GE Consumer & Industrial