GE Smart Grid Solution Expands Portfolio of
ecomagination™ Products
Field Force Automation will Empower Utilities to Optimize the Work Processes of Engineers in
the Field, Cutting Vehicle Emissions and Reducing Paper Waste
ATLANTA, GA.—April 22, 2010—The GE (NYSE: GE) Field Force Automation (FFA) toolset that utilities
rely on for optimizing field worker activities has earned GE’s ecomagination™ status for the significant
environmental benefits the solution delivers, GE announced today.
FFA is a Web-based, efficiency-building solution that optimizes mobile workforce operations through
automated dispatch, paperless information sharing and intelligent worker assignment. Utilities using FFA
report their crews fix problems faster, perform maintenance that prevents problems before they happen
and are more efficient on the job thanks to more accurate, immediate status information and direction. At
the same time, FFA achieves these performance improvements while reducing the travel, personnel
requirements and time spent in the field.
“Field Force Automation makes utilities smarter in a number of important areas,” said Bob Gilligan, vice
president—digital energy for GE Energy Services. “Crews get where they need to be faster and more
efficiently. When they are on the job, crews have immediate access to the precise information they need
to assess the situation and make the right decisions. They’re saving time, fuel, paper and cost while
delivering better service with a smaller carbon footprint. This is the smart grid at work.”
To earn ecomagination approval, a product is evaluated for its ability to significantly and measurably
improve a customer's environmental and operating performance. The rigorous, multi-tiered review
process is concluded with an independent, third-party audit to ensure accuracy and thorough
documentation of technological performance.
FFA earned its ecomagination status by delivering performance improvement in three major areas:
• Significantly reducing service crew travel times through its route optimization engine. For
example, a utility with 27 crews previously using an in-house developed work management
solution reduced traveling time on the audit day from approximately 140 hours to 95 hours.
Assuming just half this level of savings each day, a utility with 1,000 field crews would reduce its
service vehicle CO2 emissions by approximately 2,700 metric tons annually.
• Automatically balancing multiple objectives including travel time, workload balance and
preference for high-priority work orders. For example, a utility with 120 crews on duty was able to
further reduce traveling between service locations by 17% when compared to its previous mobile
workforce management solution.
• Saving paper waste by enabling field workers to communicate electronically rather than by
using paper for work orders and completion forms. For example, a utility with almost 200 crews
used FFA to reduce its paper consumption related to work orders by 70%.
In addition to these ecomagination benefits, FFA users typically experience several other business
improvements, such as better data quality from the digitization of processes, increased revenues from
capturing previously non-invoiced work and better-informed decisions due to keener insight into their
operations.
GE ecomagination approval
The ecomagination product review process provides a third-party verification of claims, quantifying
operating and environmental performance benefits that accrue to GE’s customers by using
ecomagination products relative to baselines such as competitors' best products, the installed base of
products and regulatory standards. These ecomagination claims can be found in GE's printed materials
and advertisements and on the Web at www.ge.com/ecomagination. Ecomagination products are reapproved regularly to help ensure that claims remain accurate.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is a diversified infrastructure, finance and media company taking on the world’s toughest
challenges. From aircraft engines and power generation to financial services, health care solutions, and
television programming, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people
worldwide. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.
GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of
natural resources. With nearly 85,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $37 billion, GE Energy
www.ge.com/energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery
technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and
GE Oil & Gas—work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the
energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water,
wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.