Engineering Innovation: General Electric - Case Study Example

Engineering Innovation-General Electric Case Name University Course Tutor Date Engineering Innovation-General Electric Case Abstract General Electric, abbreviated as GE, refers to a US-based international corporation with headquarters in the Connecticut’s city of Fairfield and incorporated in New York. Currently, GE exhibits operation via such segments as Oil and Gas, Healthcare, Capital, Power and Gas, and Transportation (General Electric, 2015). In the year 2011, GE entered the list of Fortune 500 being ranked as the 26th most outsized company in the US in terms of gross revenue. With respect to profitability, GE was ranked 16th in the United States (General Electric, 2015). GE is a highly innovative company that understands that advanced processes, and manufacturing techniques, primarily provide solution to the toughest problems in the globe. Ideally, the company has been able to enhance the value of customers and drive industrial advancements through external and internal crowd sourcing innovation. In addition, GE is able to address the needs of customers in a more effective and efficient manner through supporting and sourcing innovative ideas, alongside applying GE’s expertise and scale. Indeed, the company is characteristic of an open innovation manifesto which believes in openness as the way to usefulness and inventiveness. Ideally, GE exhibits the belief that a single company cannot possess all the 8outstanding ideas; instead, the company ought to practice an immense deal of collaboration with entrepreneurs and experts. This paper will focus on GE as one of the highly innovative companies majoring in the field of engineering. The paper will provide a profile of the recent GE’s innovative achievements alongside giving a detailed account of one of the company’s innovations in engineering. In addition, the report will identify aspects of entrepreneurship and diffusion related to the reviewed innovation of the company, alongside exploring cross-cultural engagement policies of GE. A high profile engineer of the company, who has contributed towards its innovation, will be discussed alongside commenting on circumstances that either enhance of hinder innovation in the company. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Table of Contents 3 Innovative Achievements of General Electric 4 A Detailed Engineering Innovation Credited to GE 5 Aspects of Diffusion and Entrepreneurship associated with innovation in General Electric 6 An Engineer Who acts as an innovator in General Electric 7 Circumstances that favored or hindered innovation in GE 8 Executive Summary 9 References 10 Appendix 1: Letter for Request of Permission to conduct interviews 11 Appendix 2: Appreciation later to the company 12 Appendix 3: Questionnaire 13 Innovative Achievements of General Electric The GE’s Industrial Solutions Challenge is one of the innovative achievements of the company. It is a global leader associated with more efficient, cleaner, and smarter electrical solutions. This challenge has a global initiative of optimization, alongside electrical access, implying that it empowers growth and advancement across industries, societies, and businesses. This innovation, of GE, is characteristic of a primary catalyst towards the creation of advanced technologies capable of efficiently, safely, and reliably distributing, protecting, and controlling electricity (General Electric, 2015). Notably, the performance of electrical systems is subject to connected and interdependent systems. Indeed, such minute components as circuit breakers play a crucial role the development of electrical infrastructures that are user friendly. This innovation has the primary objective of enhancing electrical distribution via the development and production of electrical technologies and advancements that are innovative. The Jet Engine Bracket Challenge is another innovative achievement of GE (General Electric, 2015). This in an engineering innovation aimed at overcoming the challenge that often faces designers in the development of aircraft engine components. Ideally, currently, several designers face problems regarding tradeoff between stiffness and strength requirements, and size of engine components. Therefore, this initiative came up with tools that are capable of assisting designers in part designs’ optimization. This challenge employs additive manufacturing that alleviates the challenges imposed on designers by traditional processes of manufacturing. This has the implication that designers of GE are empowered to develop any shape, thus the possibility to make use of light8weight designs that have been optimized, yet no decline of performance. GE is also characteristic of the GHG Ecomagination Innovation (General Electric, 2015). Ideally, this is an innovative move with the objective of providing Canada’s oil sands with energy efficiency solutions. Canada is known to have the third most outsized oil reserves in the globe; most of the country’s oil (97%) is found in the oil sands of Alberta (General Electric, 2015). Notably, bitumen separation from a mixture of water, sand, and clay is the primary challenge facing oil sands. However, oil sands producers are gradually overcoming this challenge as a result of modern technology; this draws substantial illustration from the fact that 1.9 billion oil barrels are annually accounted for by oil sands with prospects that the figure could grow to 3.8 billion barrels by the year 2022. The innovation by GE has the goals of addressing two of the principal chances to bring down Canadian oil sands’ GHG emissions. This would have the implication of enhanced steam generation efficiency and use of low grade heat for a greater value. GE + Aramco Entrepreneurship Center Ecomagination is yet another innovative achievement of GE (General Electric, 2015). It essentially has a primary objective of developing renewable energy solutions. The center is crucial in global energy production which exhibits an immense deal of commitment to meet real-world challenges of efficiency upon their evolution and intensification. The contemporary world faces a significant challenge of inadequate supply of water. It is observed that desalination is the principal method of fresh water production in many countries, but this method employs current procedures that are energy-intensive. This has the implication that, the continued production of fresh water (via desalination) could increase the global energy use by folds. This situation will, however, be alleviated by GE & Aramco center which has a mission of driving energy efficiency in order to come up with innovative solutions capable of achieving economic viable, measurable, and scalable enhancements in the seawater desalination process (General Electric, 2015). A Detailed Engineering Innovation Credited to GE The launch of Global Ecomagination Innovation by GE was one of the most reputable innovations by the company (General Electric, 2015). This innovation has a primary goal of bringing down GHC emissions in oil sands of Canada. The announcement of the launch revealed that at least CAD$1 million would be spend to assist in the acceleration of the development of technology in the oil sands of Canada (General Electric, 2015). The innovation targets two among the most outsized opportunities of reducing GHG emissions in the Canadian oil sands. Ideally, as it is a part of the company’s mission, GE observed the essence of collaboration in this innovation. The company, sought the most outstanding brains in the world (in or external to the industry) to assist in the development of solutions with the capability of commercializing and scaling within the industry. Notably, Canada is ranked third globally in terms of oil reserves behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela implying that it is a primary source of energy in the international markets. This has the implication that oil sands production can only take place in a sustainable manner in order to have constant supplies of oil in global markets. Therefore, collaborative efforts are of much essence towards the collaboration of technological advancements with the capability of reducing GHG emissions with significant margins. General Electrical announces that this innovation will assist customers to become more productive and efficient. Ideally, in the course of development of the innovative challenge, the company observes the great opportunity associated with oil sands. Indeed, oil sands can drive the world’s energy sector if the appropriate technologies are used to minimize the use of energy during its production. GE, therefore, hopes to bring together the most outstanding companies, technologies, and scientists in the globe, aiming at the acceleration of this innovation thus a great solution to the global energy sector. Among the strategic advisors of GE in this innovation are AI-EES and COSIA. AI-EES refers to a top agency driving environmental and energy technology in Alberta. This agency has been acting as a catalyst towards innovative, integrated methods’ development with an objective of converting Alberta’s natural resources into energy that is environmental friendly and market-ready. On the other hand, COSIA refers to an alliance consisting of producers of oil sands with a focus on the acceleration of the pace of enhancement of Canadian oil sands’ environmental performance via innovation and collaborative action (General Electric, 2015). Figure 1: A diagrammatic representation of reduced energy use to be employed at Canada’s oil sands (Britton, 2015) Aspects of Diffusion and Entrepreneurship associated with innovation in General Electric An immense deal of diffusion and entrepreneurship is evident in the company’s innovative nature. The company’s manifesto recognizes the essence of diffused knowledge in its innovative culture. This has the implication that, the company has shared knowledge with other firms and institutions in order to achieve its innovative programs (Twiss, 1992). This has the implication that absorptive capacity and cognition have played a great role in knowledge transfer as illustrated in a number of the company’s innovative achievements. For instance, GE invited contributions from various firms and individuals (in the form of proposals) for the proposed GE’s Water and Process technologies innovation. This challenge will make use of advanced technologies with the capability of solving complex global challenges related with quality increased productivity, environmental regulations, cost reduction, and availability of water. The competition for submission of a proposal for this project has attracted several participants with winners expected to be granted an opportunity to be involved in activities carried out by GE water engineers. On the other hand, entrepreneurship and innovation have been identified as the primary contributors to the success of GE (Morris, Kuratko, & Covin, 2008). Indeed, it is argued that GE is the organization with the best history of sustained corporate entrepreneurship. The measure of GE’s commitment to corporate entrepreneurship is subject to the amount of resources deployed by the company. For instance, the company has a $5 billion budget, each year, for research; this research involves up to 2800 employees, 1000 of them being PhD holders (General Electric, 2015). This is a clear indication that the company believes in entrepreneurship which involves an immense deal of risk in terms of investment. GE invests heavily in research as the company values that innovation and entrepreneurship are key drivers of organizational success. An Engineer Who acts as an innovator in General Electric Dr. William Carter is a mechanical engineer who has significantly contributed towards innovation in General Electric. He mainly takes part in GE research and activities in additive manufacturing laboratory (Abrahamson, Ryder, & Unterberg, 2013). In collaboration with other engineers, GE has started using laser-powered 3-D printers, painting machines, and 3-D inking in the course of making products and parts that would otherwise not have been produced. This has made General Electric an icon in industrial revolution. Dr. Carter is also among GE’s scientists who are currently in the course of devising emergent ways with an objective of putting sensors in places that cannot easily be reached via Direct Write technology (Abrahamson, Ryder, & Unterberg, 2013). In addition, the engineer is also among a team of researchers who are currently in the search of alloys to 3-D print engine parts of jets. This particular search is already a success as alloys used for dental implants and joint replacements have been found suitable. Dr. William Carter is also participating in the challenge aimed at overcoming the challenge that often faces designers in the development of aircraft engine components. Alongside other engineers and designers, Dr. Carter will analyze and evaluate designs that have been submitted for this challenge through the process of simulation thus selecting the best 10 designs for testing and fabrication. Dr. William Carter is thus a high rank engineer at General Electric who has significantly contributed towards various achievements in the company, alongside proposed innovative programs. Circumstances that favored or hindered innovation in GE Innovation in GE has greatly been favored by the approach employed by the company in its corporate entrepreneurship management. Ideally, the approach employed by the company has its basis on strategic process and evolving design of the organization. Ideally, a strategic business unit has been established in the company with an outstanding support of training and reporting-this has emerged to be the company’s principal organizational concept. Innovation in GE has also been favored by the company’s recognition of the essence of collaborated. For instance, GE exhibits an immense deal of commitment in its corporate entrepreneurship collaboration with Intel (Ireland, Kuratko & Morris, 2006). Consequently, these two international companies have invested heavily in research thus coming up with great joint innovative ideas and programs. The company also has key strategic advisors with AI-EES and COSIA being outstanding examples. General Electric also boasts of having first rate engineers and scientists who have individually contributed immensely towards the company’s innovation. These staff members are inclusive of Kaspar Kiis (Mechanical Engineer), Jared Wolfe (Sub section manager), David Abbot (Mechanical Engineer), Gregg Wilson (Design Team Section Manager), and Dr. William Carter (Mechanical Engineer). There is no much evidence of challenges that have faced GE in the road to its innovative culture. However, the company has faced challenges of changing world climate, global financial crisis, and competition from other engineering companies. Executive Summary It is evident that General Electric is one of the most innovative engineering companies in the globe. Indeed, it is also among the leading international companies in the globe in terms of revenue and profit. This report has revealed a number of innovative achievements by General Electric. Firstly, it is the 3D Printing Design Quest which entails the restructuring of the engine of an aircraft. The report also reveals such other achieved innovations, by General Electric, as 3DPrinting Production Quest, GE Industrial Solutions, alongside others. It has emerged that the launch of Global Ecomagination Innovation by GE was one of the most reputable innovations by General Electric. Ideally, this innovation involves technological advancements a primary goal of bringing down GHC emissions in oil sands of Canada. Aspects of diffusion and entrepreneurship have also been found to be key contributors to GE’s innovation considering that the company believes in innovation and investment for success. It is highly recommended that the company employs organizations’ cross-cultural engagement in order to enhance transfer of knowledge thus remaining highly innovative. It is also recommended that the company maintains close relations with other innovative companies (from all fields) in order to remain relevant in the field of innovation. References Abrahamson, S., Ryder, P. & Unterberg, B. (2013). Crowdstorm: The Future of Innovation, Ideas, and Problem Solving. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. Britton, M. (2015). YouthNation: Building Remarkable Brands in a Youth-Driven Culture. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons. General Electric. (2015). GE Open Innovation. Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.ge.com/about-us/openinnovation Ireland, R. D., Kuratko, D. F., & Morris, M. H. (2006). A health audit for corporate entrepreneurship (Part1). Journal of Business Strategy, 27 (1), 37 – 47. Morris, M. H., Kuratko, D. F., & Covin, J. G. (2008). Corporate entrepreneurship and innovation (2nded.). Mason, OH: Thomson Southwestern. Twiss, B.C. (1992). Managing Technological Innovation. London: Pitman. Appendix 1: Letter for Request of Permission to conduct interviews Manager PR GE Appliances Work +001 502 452 7819 REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO CONDUCT INTERVIEWs Dear Sir/ madam I am and I am a student at . I wish to conduct interviews in your institution towards a research for partial fulfillment of my program. The research is aimed at finding out the nature of innovation in your company and the effect of this culture on entrepreneurship. I hereby seek your consent to my request of interviewing a number of Engineers in your company. After completing the study, I undertake to provide the company a copy of the research report. In case you would need any further information, be free to contact me on [insert contact number, fax and email address]. Thank you in advance. Yours sincerely, Appendix 2: Appreciation later to the company Manager PR GE Appliances Work +001 502 452 7819 APPRECIATION FOR CONSENT TO INTERVIEWING REQUEST Dear Sir/ madam I am and I am a student at . I wish to express my sincere gratitude for your initiative to grant me permission to carry out interviews in your organization. I am glad to say that I was able to acquire enough information to make my research a success. As I had promised, I will provide the company with a full report of my findings once the report is complete. Regards, Appendix 3: Questionnaire Question Answer 1. What are some of the company’s innovative achievements? 2. Which is one of the innovative programs that have credited the company 3. What does the innovation in (2) above entail? 4. What are some of the factors that have motivated innovation in the company? 5. What might have hindered innovation in the company? 6. Who are some of the leading innovators at GE? 7. 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Canada is known to have the third most outsized oil reserves in the globe; most of the country’s oil (97%) is found in the oil sands of Alberta (General Electric, 2015). Notably, bitumen separation from a mixture of water, sand, and clay is the primary challenge facing oil sands. However, oil sands producers are gradually overcoming this challenge as a result of modern technology; this draws substantial illustration from the fact that 1.9 billion oil barrels are annually accounted for by oil sands with prospects that the figure could grow to 3.

8 billion barrels by the year 2022. The innovation by GE has the goals of addressing two of the principal chances to bring down Canadian oil sands’ GHG emissions. This would have the implication of enhanced steam generation efficiency and use of low grade heat for a greater value. GE + Aramco Entrepreneurship Center Ecomagination is yet another innovative achievement of GE (General Electric, 2015). It essentially has a primary objective of developing renewable energy solutions. The center is crucial in global energy production which exhibits an immense deal of commitment to meet real-world challenges of efficiency upon their evolution and intensification.

The contemporary world faces a significant challenge of inadequate supply of water. It is observed that desalination is the principal method of fresh water production in many countries, but this method employs current procedures that are energy-intensive. This has the implication that, the continued production of fresh water (via desalination) could increase the global energy use by folds. This situation will, however, be alleviated by GE & Aramco center which has a mission of driving energy efficiency in order to come up with innovative solutions capable of achieving economic viable, measurable, and scalable enhancements in the seawater desalination process (General Electric, 2015).

A Detailed Engineering Innovation Credited to GE The launch of Global Ecomagination Innovation by GE was one of the most reputable innovations by the company (General Electric, 2015). This innovation has a primary goal of bringing down GHC emissions in oil sands of Canada. The announcement of the launch revealed that at least CAD$1 million would be spend to assist in the acceleration of the development of technology in the oil sands of Canada (General Electric, 2015). The innovation targets two among the most outsized opportunities of reducing GHG emissions in the Canadian oil sands.

Ideally, as it is a part of the company’s mission, GE observed the essence of collaboration in this innovation. The company, sought the most outstanding brains in the world (in or external to the industry) to assist in the development of solutions with the capability of commercializing and scaling within the industry. Notably, Canada is ranked third globally in terms of oil reserves behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela implying that it is a primary source of energy in the international markets.

This has the implication that oil sands production can only take place in a sustainable manner in order to have constant supplies of oil in global markets. Therefore, collaborative efforts are of much essence towards the collaboration of technological advancements with the capability of reducing GHG emissions with significant margins. General Electrical announces that this innovation will assist customers to become more productive and efficient. Ideally, in the course of development of the innovative challenge, the company observes the great opportunity associated with oil sands.

Indeed, oil sands can drive the world’s energy sector if the appropriate technologies are used to minimize the use of energy during its production. GE, therefore, hopes to bring together the most outstanding companies, technologies, and scientists in the globe, aiming at the acceleration of this innovation thus a great solution to the global energy sector. Among the strategic advisors of GE in this innovation are AI-EES and COSIA.

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