GE Opens New Oil & Gas Subsea Test Facility in Warsaw, Poland

GE  has further expanded its Oil & Gas business’ portfolio capabilities with today’s inauguration of a new $3M investment subsea equipment testing facility in Warsaw, Poland, opened in partnership with the Warsaw Institute of Aviation and Engineering Design Center.

The new Warsaw Subsea Test Lab provides GE Oil & Gas with increased capacity for the testing and qualification of subsea equipment for its global Drilling & Production operations, increased support of sales activity in Poland and across Central Europe, as well as highly talented, experienced engineers.

“GE is a strategic partner to the Warsaw Institute of Aviation and this year we have celebrated the 10th anniversary of our successful cooperation. Today’s opening of the new GE Oil & Gas subsea test facility is a result of our close relations and place trust into the world-class engineering capabilities we have in Poland. This is also a unique opportunity for our engineers to develop a strong expertise in such complex projects as the subsea oil and gas extraction,” said the Managing Director of Warsaw Institute of Aviation, Witold Wiśniowski.

Based on an engineering alliance agreement between GE Aviation and the Warsaw Institute of Aviation, the Warsaw Engineering Design Center was established in 2000 and has grown from just 20 engineers to more than 1,000 engineers collaborating in the development of world-class aviation, energy and oil & gas technologies. The last ten years brought gradual rise of employment and development of engineers’ capabilities while closely cooperating with the best Polish technical universities.

John Lammas, Vice-President—Engineering, GE Oil & Gas said: “The new test facility will help GE remain at the forefront of reliable innovation in the oil and gas industry. At GE Oil & Gas, part of our strategy is to deeply embed an aviation mindset in terms of safety and reliability. Working together with GE Aviation and the Warsaw Institute of Aviation at these superb new subsea testing facilities, GE Oil & Gas will continue to build successfully on the Polish aviation industry’s legacy of engineering excellence to help solve our customer’s toughest technical challenges.”

GE Oil & Gas will use the new Warsaw Test Lab for the qualification of existing drilling and production products, product line extensions and new product introductions for its Drilling and Production business. Subsea equipment that will be tested in the lab includes valves, seals, flanges, spool pieces and riser connectors. This new investment presents GE’s commitment to partner with Poland and confirms the company’s trust into the country’s strong engineering capabilities and skills.

About GE

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.

About GE Oil & Gas

GE Oil & Gas is a part of GE Energy, one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. GE Energy consists of GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services, and GE Oil & Gas and provides integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.

GE Oil & Gas is a world leader in advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the oil and gas industry, from drilling and production, LNG, pipelines and storage to industrial power generation, refining and petrochemicals. We also provide pipeline integrity solutions, including inspection and data management, and design and manufacture wire-line and drilling measurement solutions for the oilfield services segment. As part of our ‘Innovation Now’ customer focus and commitment, GE Oil & Gas exploits technological innovation from other GE businesses, such as aviation and healthcare, to continuously improve oil and gas industry performance and productivity. GE Oil & Gas employs more than 12,000 people worldwide and operates in over 100 countries.

GE in Poland

GE started its operations in Poland in 1992. Since that time the company has become one of the most important multinationals in Poland. Most of the key GE business units have their divisions in Poland. Since 1992, GE invested in Poland over $400 million. In 2009, GE revenues in Poland reached over $1 billion. GE employs in Poland approximately 10,000 people and operates three production plants (GE Power Controls in Kłodzko, Łódź and Bielsko-Biała), BPH Bank and Engineering Design Center (in cooperation with Aviation Institute in Warsaw).

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Source: GE, November 16, 2010: