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GE Industrial Systems and Cisco Systems Launch New Business; GE Cisco Industrial Networks Provides Solutions for Factory-to-Office Communication

New York (ots-PRNewswire) -

GE Industrial Systems, a global leader
in factory control and automation and Cisco Systems, the world leader
in networking for the Internet, today announced that they have formed
a new company, GE Cisco Industrial Networks. GE Cisco Industrial
Networks will assess, design and build network infrastructures for
manufacturing plant floor and industrial environments that will
enable enterprise-wide communication -- an essential component of
real-time decision making, e-business and higher productivity.
"A synchronized organization with enterprise-wide connectivity can
utilize the power and speed of e-business and e-commerce to create
competitive advantage," said Lloyd G. Trotter, president and CEO, GE
Industrial Systems. "While companies have connected their office
systems, partners and customers, the factory floor -- the heart of
manufacturing -- is disconnected from the rest of the enterprise.
With a team of uniquely qualified engineers, GE Cisco Industrial
Networks will provide the integral network infrastructure for true
company-wide communication by combining GE's tremendous strengths in
factory control and automation and Cisco Systems expertise in the
Internet, bringing these two disciplines together."
Charles Giancarlo, senior vice president of Cisco Systems added,
"Allowing better communication and faster decision-making, a
factory-to-enterprise network also permits companies to exploit the
full potential of the Internet. Critical factory floor data that was
once limited to weekly or monthly reports becomes an integral part of
shared, real-time decision making via Internet technology."
The new company combines the expertise of both GE and Cisco to
provide unprecedented industrial networking knowledge and services.
With nearly 100 years in industrial control technology and
application, GE brings automation and manufacturing experience to the
Cisco network infrastructure, enabling office-to-factory
communication.
Trotter explained, "With a company-wide network infrastructure,
businesses can achieve the transparency needed for a boundaryless
culture -- a model that GE fosters to infuse energy, enthusiasm and
Six Sigma quality. Data and knowledge can flow freely and accelerate
the pace of an organization to new levels. Quarters and months are no
longer acceptable; we're measuring time in days and weeks. Global
connectivity - from a factory to the business to partners to
customers -- is the foundation for the speed of `e.'"
Additionally, Giancarlo said, "GE Cisco Industrial Networks will
enable more companies to implement the Global Networked Business
model that has been so successful for Cisco and its customers. This
model, which Cisco both promotes and practices, utilizes the network
for competitive advantage by opening up the corporate information
infrastructure to all key constituencies."
The e-Factory Infrastructure
GE Cisco Industrial Networks will use the Ethernet open standard
network infrastructure to bridge the information gap between the
factory floor and the rest of the enterprise. Traditionally, Ethernet
has been used to network offices, while plant floor information has
been exchanged over proprietary networks. Although fast and reliable
when used for plant floor communication, proprietary networks often
cannot communicate with office networks. The many benefits that
Ethernet has brought to office networks -- including low installation
and maintenance costs as well as seamless integration with the
Internet -- will now be available to the factory without compromising
manufacturing productivity.
"The benefits of communicating real-time plant floor data over
Ethernet and uniting it with the office over one enterprise-wide
backbone are enormous," said Jeff Pompeo, president and CEO of GE
Cisco Industrial Networks. "Users have rapid access to data and can
better exploit applications such as ERP (enterprise resource
planning), remote monitoring and VMI (vendor managed inventory) via a
standard Internet browser, an easy-to-use tool that is familiar to
nearly everyone. Additionally, machining and manufacturing cells --
each with multiple control devices -- can be connected via one open
infrastructure rather than several islands of proprietary networks --
which allows factory floor communication and improves resource
management.
"Installing, maintaining, and managing one type of network
throughout the enterprise is also substantially less expensive than
supporting several different networks," Pompeo added. "As a result,
ROI is realized more quickly. The enterprise-wide Ethernet network
helps make companies more productive by virtually eliminating network
downtime, bottlenecks and crashes for guaranteed data availability."
Now available, the GE Cisco Industrial Networks suite of products
and services includes:
-- Network assessments and troubleshooting
   -- Network design
   -- Network installation, including the leading networking hardware
      products from Cisco
   -- Network and equipment support, including training and
      maintenance, and remote monitoring
   -- Network integration with existing factory automation and
      control systems
GE Industrial Systems is a global leader in manufacturing products
used to distribute, protect and control electrical power and
equipment, and supplying product and service solutions for
commercial, industrial, residential and utility applications. GE
Industrial Systems is one of GE's major businesses. GE (NYSE: GE) is
a diversified services, technology and manufacturing company with a
commitment to achieving customer success and worldwide leadership in
each of its businesses. GE operates in more than 100 countries and
employees nearly 340,000 people worldwide.
Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in
networking for the Internet.
For more information about GE Cisco Industrial Networks, visit the
GE Cisco Industrial Networks web site: www.GECisco.com.
ots Original Text Service: GE Industrial Systems; Cisco Systems, Inc.
Internet: http://recherche.newsaktuell.de

Contact:

Anne Witkavitch, Manager, Communications & Public Affairs of GE
Industrial Systems, Tel. (USA) 860-747-7461, or fax, 860-747-7393, or
anne.witkavitch@indsys.ge.com; or Kathy Chin Makranyi, Manager,
Public Relations, Tel. (USA) 408-853-8089, or fax, 408-527-0180, or
kmakrany@cisco.com; or
Mary Thurber, Director, Investor Relations, Tel. (USA) 408-526-8893,
or mthurber@cisco.com, both of Cisco Systems

Web site: http://www.GECisco.com

Original content of: Cisco Systems GmbH, transmitted by news aktuell

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