GE Power Conversion is an electrical engineering company and is a subsidiary of

GE Power GE Power (formerly known as GE Energy) is an American energy technology company, owned by General Electric. Structure As of July 2019, GE Power is divided into the following divisions: * GE Gas Power (formerly Alstom Power Turbomachines), bas ...

, part of

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

. GE Power Conversion's global headquarters is located in the

Paris-Saclay Paris-Saclay is a research-intensive and business cluster currently under construction in the south of Paris, France. It encompasses research facilities, two French major universities with higher education institutions (''grandes écoles'') and ...

research-intensive and

business cluster A business cluster is a geographic concentration of interconnected businesses, suppliers, and associated institutions in a particular field. Clusters are considered to increase the productivity with which companies can compete, nationally and g ...

, south of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

, in the

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (, ; literally "Isle of France") is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France. Centred on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the ''Région parisienne'' (; en, Pa ...

region.

History

In 1989, parts of the British

General Electric Company The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering. The company was founded in 1886, was Britain's largest private employer with over 250 ...

merged with parts of Compagnie Générale d'Electricité (now

Alcatel-Lucent Alcatel–Lucent S.A. () was a French–American global telecommunications equipment company, headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. It was formed in 2006 by the merger of France-based Alcatel and U.S.-based Lucent, the latter being a su ...

) forming

Cegelec Cegelec is a French engineering company specialized in electrical infrastructure, HVAC, information technology, nuclear energy development, transport infrastructure, robotics and offering both public and private services. Cegelec was officially ...

(part of

GEC-Alsthom Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Ave ...

), in the same year, a subsidiary of the German ''Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (

AEG Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft AG (AEG; ) was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in Berlin as the ''Deutsche Edison-Gesellschaft für angewandte Elektricität'' in 1883 by Emil Rathenau. During the Second World War, A ...

) had merged with the American Westinghouse Drive Systems. In 1995, these two groupings merged to form CEGELEC Industrial Systems Group. In 1999, it changed its name to Alstom Power & Conversion, then on 10 November 2005, it became a separate company from Alstom. On 29 March 2011, it was announced that a 90% stake in Converteam was to be bought by

GE Energy GE Power (formerly known as GE Energy) is an American energy technology company, owned by General Electric. Structure As of July 2019, GE Power is divided into the following divisions: * GE Gas Power (formerly Alstom Power Turbomachines), bas ...

for $3.2 billion. This deal was completed on 2 September 2011.

Company structure and operations

It has five divisions: * GE Energy Power Conversion Group SAS (former Converteam SAS) in France * GE Energy Power Conversion GmbH (former Converteam GmbH) in Germany (based in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

) * GE Energy Power Conversion UK Ltd (former Converteam UK Ltd) in the United Kingdom (based in Rugby) * GE Energy Power Conversion UK Ltd (former Converteam UK Ltd) in the United Kingdom (based in

Kidsgrove Kidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, on the Cheshire border. It is part of the Potteries Urban Area, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 26,276 (2019 census) ...

) * GE Energy Power Conversion Inc. (former Converteam Inc.) in the US (based in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

) The company also operates the Engineering Development Center in India, and has subsidiaries in BRIC countries: Converteam Brazil and Converteam China.

Products

The division focuses on electrical motors ( induction and

synchronous Synchronization is the coordination of events to operate a system in unison. For example, the conductor of an orchestra keeps the orchestra synchronized or ''in time''. Systems that operate with all parts in synchrony are said to be synchronou ...

) and generators, and its product range is comprehensive. Drives for low voltage as well as medium voltage applications are available for industry-specific applications, and products can be customized upon request. Meanwhile, its generators are often found in fossil fuel power stations. The company also provides the Vessel Automation Systems and Dynamic Positioning Systems for ships. The products are known for high operational efficiency and longevity. In addition to building and installing these products, this division also provides consultancy and maintenance services.

Electric ship propulsion

The company produced the induction motors for the Royal Navy's class

Type 45 destroyers The Type 45 destroyer, also known as the D or ''Daring'' class, is a class of six guided-missile destroyers built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy in the early 21st century. The class is primarily designed for anti-aircraft and anti-missile ...

. (commissioned from July 2009) which are controlled by

variable-frequency drive A variable-frequency drive (VFD) is a type of motor drive used in electro-mechanical drive systems to control AC motor speed and torque by varying motor input frequency and, depending on topology, to control associated voltage or curre ...

s, and 20 MW generators. This technology has also been installed on

LNG carrier An LNG carrier is a tank ship designed for transporting liquefied natural gas (LNG). History The first LNG carrier '' Methane Pioneer'' () carrying , classed by Bureau Veritas, left the Calcasieu River on the Louisiana Gulf coast on 25 Januar ...

s, the French s, and the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...

's s. The company is also developing an

Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is a type of aircraft launching system developed by General Atomics for the United States Navy. The system launches carrier-based aircraft by means of a catapult employing a linear inducti ...

for the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers.

References

External links

*{{Official, http://www.gepowerconversion.com/ Electrical engineering companies of France General Electric subsidiaries Companies based in Paris Electronics companies established in 2005 French companies established in 2005 2011 mergers and acquisitions