General Electric Expands Footprint in Malaysia with Aviation and IT Initiatives

20 September 2018

The LEAP engine, produced by a 50/50 joint venture between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, represents a leap ahead in terms of aviation technology and material, and powers aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo and Comac C919 single-aisle jets. (photo : kiss)

KUALA LUMPUR: General Electric chairman and chief executive officer John Flannery has reaffirmed the US engineering giant’s continued commitment to Malaysia with a major US$80 million investment in GE Engine Services Malaysia (GEESM).

GE also announced the establishment of the Global IT service desk at its headquarters here.

GEESM, an aircraft engine services workshop, will enter into a long-term tenancy agreement with Impeccable Vintage Properties (IVP), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia Aviation Group Bhd, subject to terms to be mutually agreed in relation to GEESM’s Subang facility.

This long-term tenancy agreement is part of GEESM’s plans to invest in tooling, testing and skills capabilities to support the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of CFM International’s cutting-edge LEAP engine, the company said in a statement today.

The LEAP engine, produced by a 50/50 joint venture between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines, represents a leap ahead in terms of aviation technology and material, and powers aircraft such as the Boeing 737 MAX, Airbus A320neo and Comac C919 single-aisle jets.

The MRO work on LEAP will introduce the next chapter of engineering excellence for GEESM’s Subang workshop, making it the first such facility outside the United States for GE.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed by GEESM managing director Suresh Kumar Shunmugam and Impeccable Vintage Properties director Nik Azli Abu Zahar.

Present during the signing was Prime Minister Tun Dr.Mahathir Mohamad, Minister of International Trade and Industry Ignatius Darell Leiking and Secretary General of MITI Datuk Isham Ishak, as well as GE Chairman and CEO John Flannery, President and CEO of GE APAC Wouter Van Wersch, and CEO of GE Malaysia Datuk Mark Rozario.

Darell said Malaysia was a globally attractive investment location, and GE was a great example of the kind of company that the government was glad to see driving those investments.

“With our exceptional workforce and GE’s world class technology and innovation, I’m confident this is a partnership which will continue to deliver outstanding results,” he said.

Flannery said the GEESM was one of the group’s flagship facilities in the region and the renewed lease agreement was a testament to the great work delivered by the local talent.

“The establishment of the GE Global IT service desk in Kuala Lumpur further represents our belief in the hugely beneficial shared future that GE, Malaysia and Asean have ahead of us,” he said.

The state-of-the-art global IT hub is one of just three such centres in the world, providing a 24/7 dual-language Chinese-English support to all GE users worldwide, with an aim to accelerate towards full operation by 31 October this year.

The desk will be staffed by 130 local employees.

“Malaysia offers the ideal location for GE’s commitment to accessing the best in global talent. It is a country that boasts a young, enthusiastic and highly skilled workforce with multilanguage capabilities, and a supportive environment that promotes exactly the kind of technical expertise and opportunity that a company like GE is looking for.

“With the new investment to expand skills and capabilities at the GE Engine Services Malaysia facility, and the path towards full operation at the Global IT service desk, it is clear GE is committed to its future in Malaysia,” said Rozario.

(NewStraitsTimes)