2008-11-20 19:00:07 -
http://GE Monogram - As part of GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms" Innovation Day, nine Brazilian companies presented stories of their success as a result of using GE products and solutions. GE Fanuc, a unit of GE Enterprise Solutions, hosted a full day of discussions of technology and solutions for multiple industries in Brazil, to help companies build systems to
improve quality and control production systems in today"s challenging business environment.
"Latin America is heating up due to rapid growth in key industries and a more open trade market," said Bernie Anger, GE Enterprise Solutions General Manager for Latin America. "Our emphasis with GE Enterprise Solutions is to deliver high-impact, integrated solutions that improve customers" productivity and profitability. GE Fanuc has proven today that its products and solutions have helped these businesses compete and win in a changing global environment."
More than 200 attendees at the conference enjoyed presentations covering the latest technologies in process control solutions, production management, asset management, factory automation, data management, and integrated control. "This broad array of solutions meshes well with the needs of this growing economy," said Anger.
Among the companies sharing their success at the conference were:
- Nova America: New technologies in sugar and alcohol mills have helped Nova America to realize gains in productivity and efficiency in their production of ethanol.
- Santa Terezinha: Improving visualization and control in sugar and alcohol mills has given Santa Terezinha a complete picture of its production facilities to meet the needs of its growing ethanol business.
- Sadia: Production efficiency and quality in the food & beverage industry has proven effective for Sadia as they implement product tracking and genealogy in an industrial environment.
- Ache Laboratories: Managing product batches and recipes in pharmaceuticals, has increased the production effectiveness of Ache Laboratories" operation.
- Eurofarma: Implementing an integrated operations center in the pharmaceuticals industry has provided Eurofarma a one-stop shop to manage multiple product lines with less support, training and achieve a faster time to value.
- AMBEV: Measuring process performance in the beverage industry gives AMBEV an advantage in producing quality product, therefore reducing waste.
According to the customer presentations, Brazil companies operating in the biofuels segment need systems where production can be switched from sugar to ethanol or energy depending on the market price/need of each product. This can happen very frequently. Therefore flexibility in manufacturing is key.
"In times of crisis and recession, investments have to be applied in a coherent and decisive way, looking to optimize the assets and maximize available resources," said João Carlos Felipe Santiago, Automation Coordinator, Eurofarma Brazil. "This event promoted the union of efforts and talents, among different sectors, and proved, besides the global economical difficulties, Brazil has a consolidated technological effort in place."
In addition, product safety and quality are important concerns for companies in the food & beverage industry as well as pharmaceuticals. These companies are looking to manufacturing systems to give them a complete quality framework that will not only insure quality but support audit regimens and allow them to reap the benefits of decreased production issues.
"Since 2003, GE has provided a successful partnership with Santa Terezinha Group," said Alan Fayad, Automation Supervisor of Santa Terezinha. "Because of this relationship, our business has improved, demonstrating all the benefits we received with the standardization of hardware and software through Proficy Solutions."
"We are very excited about the business opportunities in Latin America," continued Anger, "and the success we have realized in Brazil is just the tip of the iceberg. This conference today is testament to the increased interest in business here in Brazil and the need for elevated production efficiency and achieving a sustainable advantage on a global basis."
About GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms
GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, a joint venture between General Electric (NYSE:GE) and FANUC LTD of Japan, is a high-performance technology company and a global provider of hardware, software, services, expertise and experience in automation and embedded computing, with products employed in virtually every industry, including manufacturing automation, process automation, defense, automotive, telecommunications, healthcare and aerospace. GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms is a worldwide company headquartered in Charlottesville, VA and is part of GE Enterprise Solutions. For more information, visit
cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=smartlink&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww ...
About GE Enterprise Solutions:
GE Enterprise Solutions elevates customers' productivity and profitability with integrated solutions using sensors and non-destructive testing; security and life safety technologies; power system protection and control; and plant automation and embedded computing systems. Enterprise Solutions' high-tech, high-growth businesses include Sensing & Inspection Technologies, Security, Digital Energy, and GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms. The business has 17,000 problem-solving employees in more than 60 countries around the world.
Elli Holman, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms
508-698-7456; mailto:elli.holman@gefanuc.com
