GE 2005 Annual Report Download - page 14

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The GE suite of locomotive services offerings, designed to improve fleet efficiency and reduce operating
expenses, includes repair services, locomotive enhancements, modernizations, and information-based services like
remote monitoring and diagnostics. We provide train control products, railway management services, and signaling
systems to increase service levels, optimize asset utilization, and streamline operations for railroad owners and
operators. We deliver leading edge tools that improve asset availability and reliability, optimize network planning,
and control network execution to plan. We also offer leading drive technology solutions to the mining, transit,
marine and stationary, and drilling industries. Our motors operate in thousands of applications, from electrical drive
systems for large haulage trucks used in the mining industry to transit cars and drilling rigs, and our engines are used
for marine power as well as stationary power generation applications. We also provide gearing technology for
critical applications such as wind turbines.
Water
Water offers productivity solutions for pure water including the supply of specialty chemicals, pumps, valves, filters
and fluid handling equipment for improving the performance of water, wastewater and process systems including
mobile treatment systems and desalination processes.
For information about orders and backlog, see page 40.
Industrial
Industrial (21.7%, 22.8% and 22.0% of consolidated revenues in 2005, 2004 and 2003, respectively) produces and
sells products including consumer appliances, industrial equipment and plastics, and related services. We also
finance business equipment for a wide variety of customer applications. During 2005, we made a number of
acquisitions, the most significant of which was Edwards Systems Technology.
Our operations are located in North America, Europe, Asia and South America.
Consumer & Industrial
Consumer & Industrial sells products characterized by high volume and relatively low unit prices. Our products
share several characteristics – competitive design, efficient manufacturing and effective distribution and service.
Strong global competition rarely permits premium pricing, so cost control, including productivity, is key. Despite
pricing pressures on many of our products, we also invest in the development of differentiated, premium products
that are more profitable. While some Consumer & Industrial products are primarily directed to consumer
applications (major appliances, for example), and some primarily to industrial applications (switchgear, for
example), others are directed to both markets (lighting, for example).
We sell and service major home appliances including refrigerators, freezers, electric and gas ranges,
cooktops, dishwashers, clothes washers and dryers, microwave ovens, room air conditioners, and residential water
systems for filtration, softening and heating. Brands are Monogram®, GE Profile™, GE®, and Hotpoint®.