GE Fanuc Automation, CNC and Embedded Systems Come Together

GE Fanuc announces a name change to GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, brining together groups known as GE Fanuc Automation, CNC and Embedded Systems.

It’s been 20 years since GE and FANUC LTD of Japan began the joint venture that created the company. A lot has changed since then, and it’s time to acknowledge those changes in the organization and in the name, therefore GE Fanuc Automation, CNC or Embedded Systems is no longer. Together, they are now something more: GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms.

The primary goal for the change is simple accuracy. GE has for many years been investing in new technology, creating new products and expanding our capabilities in order to meet the needs of customers around the world. As a result, a gap developed between the original name and the new company. GE is now closing that gap.

Over 20 years ago, GE and FANUC Ltd. of Japan formed GE Fanuc, an automation company dedicated to delivering technology and services to improve automation on a worldwide basis. The automation industry has matured a great deal since then. Many companies have come and gone, and GE Fanuc has become one of the leading brands, recognized for delivering high technology products and services in both hardware and software.

During those two decades, GE has grown and evolved, both organically and through acquisitions. Many leading brands have joined GE Fanuc, such as Total Control Products, CimWorks, DataViews Corporation, AFE Technologies, Computer Dynamics, VMIC, Intellution, SBS, Condor and Radstone. Yet through it all, GE has maintained their commitment to provide customers with cutting edge technology. That is why GE Fanuc is a lasting organization, one that you can start with today, and count on in 5 years, 10 years or longer. When you choose GE Fanuc as a partner, you will have a dedicated solution provider for the life of your business.

A Technology-Driven Change
One of the most important forces at work in the electronics industry today is convergence. Like the joining of many smaller streams and tributaries into one mighty river, the computing world is inexorably being drawn toward a set of common technologies. What was once a confusing jumble of conflicting languages, systems, networks and devices, is slowly but surely being brought under control.

Over time, the global electronics community will most likely continue to standardize around a select group of winning technologies. This convergence has been under way for many years, and we have kept pace with the changes in order to serve customers. Whether it is hardware or software, wired or wireless networks, commercial, military or telecom applications, the pace of convergence continues to accelerate.

At first glance, convergence seems to create strange bedfellows. What, for example, could a naval weapons system have in common with a tool and die machine? Or, what possible connection could there be between a cell phone base station and a factory automation system?

But on further examination, it becomes quite clear that the same touch screen which controls the naval missiles also performs flawlessly to control the tool and die machine. And the same high speed networking hardware that supports cell phone traffic also performs brilliantly in a networked factory automation system.

These synergies have not gone unnoticed by our technologists. Nor has GE missed the fact that by capitalizing on the trend toward convergence, they can now offer customers the potential for new technology choices and possible cost savings. Therefore, GE has made the necessary business, technology and personnel decisions that will keep them at the leading edge of this trend.

The Benefits of Modular Systems
At the heart of technology convergence is an inevitable move toward common standards which define the basic building blocks of electronics system design. These systems are modular, so that various types of modules, both hardware and software, can “snap in” to the design. By selecting the right modules and combining them into a system, GE can create a platform that precisely meets the specific needs of their customers.

Because of modular design, the need for custom hardware and software development is greatly reduced. Yet, within the system framework, the company has terrific flexibility to design the most effective and cost-efficient platform from existing modules.

As the concept of modular system design has continued to gain acceptance, customers have increasingly asked the company to deliver optimized platforms rather than mere electronic boards and cards. Based on existing components, GE can assemble, test and deliver to the customer an application-ready platform.

Whether the customer is an automation OEM, a defense prime contractor or a telecom network equipment provider, the benefits are inescapable. Rather than spending valuable time and resources building basic elements of their product, they can outsource a subsystem to the company and devote their time and energy to creating the application. The time-to-market savings alone can often make the case for the modular design strategy.

The Globalization of Technology
In the last few decades, “intelligent” products and services have become an accepted part of everyday life for people around the globe. In fact, it is fair to say that when applied to inanimate objects, the word “intelligent” has become a synonym for “computing power.” An automobile that can parallel park itself has “intelligence”, whereas a computer terminal that lacks processing power is a “dumb” terminal.

The hardware, software and services we provide allow our customers to add precisely this sort of intelligence to their products and operations. As GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms, we help our customers leverage intelligent computing power in their products and operations. This is equally true for the intelligence they might want to add to their manufacturing plant or to their unmanned aerial vehicle.

Thanks to modular system design, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms is able to deliver this electronic intelligence in custom-tuned “platforms” rather than isolated components. A platform might be a full suite of manufacturing software, reaching from the factory floor to the boardroom. It might be a pre-integrated computing system ready for application development. In either case, customers receive a platform upon which they can build a competitive advantage.

The company is part of GE, one of the most respected companies in the world, with a reputation for integrity that is second to none. The membership in the GE family offers you, as a customer, access to the financial and human resources of a global business leader. In addition, as part of the GE Enterprise Solutions team, the company has the added capability of pulling together multiple GE technologies to offer you one integrated GE solution.

No matter what product or platform they provide, wthey measure success by the success of their customers. Their mission is to help customers succeed by providing them with intelligent solutions that improve their products and operations. They do this by delivering high-performance technology platforms created with the passion and expertise of our people. Their goal is to give you such a satisfying customer experience that you will choose them as your partner for the life of your program.

Comments and contributions by Maryrose T. Sylvester, President and CEO, GE Fanuc Intelligent Platforms.

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