GE 2004 Annual Report Download

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find the complete 2004 GE annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 33

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33

12    
Real
Time
Driving growth today
Every day, more than 300,000 people are
making growth happen at GE.
Real growth, in real time.
Growth in 100 countries, across 11 businesses.
Growth in a $100 million box office smash.
Growth in the speed and portability of healthcare.
Growth in a new global brand that says “yes.”
Growth that is all around us, even in a
slow-growth world.
Growth. Right now.

Table of contents

  • Page 1
    ... Every day, more than 300,000 people are making growth happen at GE. Real growth, in real time. Growth in 100 countries, across 11 businesses. Growth in a $100 million box office smash. Growth in the speed and portability of healthcare. Growth in a new global brand that says "yes." Growth that is...

  • Page 2
    ...The Evolution generates 16 cylinders' worth of horsepower with only 12, cuts key emissions by up to 40% and is the first locomotive to meet new EPA emissions standards - all while delivering as much as 10% lower lifecycle costs to customers. Collaborating with customers, GE tested 50 pre-production...

  • Page 3
    ... of a private-label credit card with the utility and global acceptance of a bank credit card. Consumers benefit from enhanced loyalty programs, no annual fees, larger credit lines and the ability to use the card both in and out of GE's retail partners' stores. Retailers benefit from consumers...

  • Page 4
    ... developers and marketers of media content for a new age. R With broadband proliferation a reality, NBC Universal is ready to deliver news, information and entertainment to the digital device of the consumer's choice - be it a mobile phone, high-definition DVD or the Internet - or even a television...

  • Page 5
    ... nanotechnology-based sampler and analyzer that decreases the average response time to minutes while minimizing false alarms. Such speed can accelerate treatment and help limit a threat's ability to spread. In 2005, GE plans to add these biodetection capabilities to GE StreetLab®, a portable device...

  • Page 6
    ... round-the-clock availability and ï¬,exibility help customers avoid productivity losses due to outages planned or unplanned; in some cases, it provides a longer-term solution free of costly investment. With the acquisition of Ionics, GE will increase its ï¬,eet of mobile water systems to more than...

  • Page 7
    ... in Europe. R With a wealth of U.S. experience using tools such as Six Sigma and At the Customer, For the Customer in financial services, GE can bring them into a European context to meet customers' distinct needs. In 2004, Commercial Finance quadrupled European financing volumes and doubled...

  • Page 8
    ... as the "visual stethoscope of the future." R GE engineers miniaturized the components of a sophisticated ultrasound system weighing more than 400 pounds to produce a portable, wireless system weighing only 10 pounds. With Vivid i ultrasound, physicians can conduct diagnostic heart scans virtually...

  • Page 9
    ...exible, and all about "yes" - is helping customers worldwide receive the financing they need quickly and easily. That kind of responsiveness resonates around the world. GE Money-branded banks, kiosks and ATMs are open in 17 countries, with plans to re-brand more than 3,000 locations around the world...

  • Page 10
    (left to right) GE Healthcare GE Healthcare Life (signs) in the fast lane. LightSpeed® VCT R In the ...result, it helps doctors make fast, accurate and noninvasive diagnoses of cardiovascular conditions. GE has already received more than $150 million of orders for the new device. 21

  • Page 11
    Prime Time Driving growth tomorrow Growth is gaining momentum. And GE leaders are ready to win, helping their customers become more profitable... East. It's increasing precision in diagnostic imaging and quenching consumers' thirst for cleaner water. Growth is accelerating. GE leaders are driving. 22

  • Page 12
    ... led to a deeper appreciation of the unique customer requirements and competitive dynamics of this new segment. R GE Commercial Finance developed a distinct business model with dedicated sales teams, a broader product offering, improved syndication and streamlined loan approvals. The success of such...

  • Page 13
    ...the home that will filter sand, dirt and rust, reduce lead and mercury, treat for taste and odor, kill bacteria and viruses, and soften water. This advanced system is one of several breakthrough home products coming from GE, including new innovations in lighting, laundry and cooking. GE Consumer...

  • Page 14
    ...by making it more energy-efficient and quieter. GE's latest engine, the GEnx, uses advanced compression and combustion technology to achieve dramatic gains ...today's comparable aircraft. GE expects to begin testing the full GEnx engine in 2006, with entry into commercial service in 2008. The industry...

  • Page 15
    Growth is just off the coast. 26

  • Page 16
    ... can generate more power than its land-based counterpart. R To harness these free and renewable winds, GE is developing a family of ...to provide power for coastal cities where available land area is limited. Offshore wind projects announced or in active development could generate a total of more than ...

  • Page 17
    ... technology and its expertise in financing and management make it uniquely qualified to help build the region's energy, transportation, water and healthcare capabilities and establish a foundation for lasting economic growth. GE's experience in developing countries has led to the insight that...

  • Page 18
    ... and optical science, and you have entirely new materials for use in liquid crystal displays. By embedding new, proprietary technology directly into its ILLUMINEXâ„¢ display films, GE avoids the ï¬,aking and deterioration of competing products - an improvement that may help customers increase their...

  • Page 19
    ...GE's 3T MR system is a powerful and compact 3 Tesla-strength magnet that enables the capture of images R not only of the anatomy of the brain, but of the brain's actual function and "wiring... that control critical functions such as speech and motor skills. The global market for MR imaging devices is ...

  • Page 20
    ...moving over tens of thousands of miles of railroad track. R Digital Railroad, a set of information and wireless technologies controlled by GE's Precision Dispatch System software, helps railroads navigate through the maze of tracks and hundreds of unforeseen events, from unscheduled track repairs to...

  • Page 21
    ... growth in the future Growth is on the horizon. It's growth that's not yet taken final, commercial form - but hovers as an idea, a concept, a "what-if?" It's the reverberations we'll feel as an entire generation of baby-boomers ages. It's the salt we won't taste in seawater. It's the "over already...

  • Page 22
    ... will not solve global water scarcity. R Desalination removes saline from brackish or sea water and creates fresh water for drinking, irrigation and industrial use. GE's unique total system approach helps decrease both the capital investment required and the cost of water production, and it also...

  • Page 23
    ... in braking a 207-ton locomotive is enough to power 150 households. R According to GE engineers, a locomotive that could capture all that dynamic energy and store it in batteries for later use could generate a 2,000-horsepower boost and use up to 15% less fuel than the industry-leading GE Evolution...

  • Page 24
    ... support the economic development ...car market, and water requirements three times those of the U.S. R China's financial infrastructure will evolve as well, and by 2020 the country could have 500 million active consumers requiring credit cards, auto loans, mortgages and personal financing products. GE...

  • Page 25
    Very Light Jet Eighty-five percent of business travel is by car - for now. R A new class of jet engine being commercialized by a GE-Honda joint venture could enable travelers to make 300- to 500-mile trips three times faster than by car or commercial airline. The engine (shown here with the GE90...

  • Page 26
    ... be diagnosed with breast cancer. Early diagnosis can give them a dramatically higher chance of survival and make the disease significantly less expensive to manage. R GE's Imagination Breakthrough will address breast cancer comprehensively, using GE's advanced healthcare technologies to identify...

  • Page 27
    ... created with the merger of GE Consumer Products and GE Industrial Systems. We've streamlined our structure, simplified our processes, and generated significant savings that we're reinvesting in new products such as Entellisys™ intelligent switchgear, the GE front-load washer and dryer, and long...

  • Page 28
    ... quartz products. We're more than offsetting high raw materials prices with productivity, product mix and price. We feel very good about the future." John Krenicki "We've taken the actions necessary for better performance. We have increased underwriting discipline, strengthened investment management...

  • Page 29
    ... also developing new products like our VeriWise™ trailer-tracking product, an Imagination Breakthrough that's enabling customers to improve productivity as well as cargo security." Art Harper "We've got a great slate of films, new venues in which to promote them, and new resources we can use to...

  • Page 30
    ... each patient." Bill Castell, Joe Hogan and Peter Loescher (previous page, left to right) GE Energy NBC Universal (this page, left to right) GE Equipment Services GE International Global Research GE Healthcare NBC Universal GE Healthcare GE Transportation GE Consumer...

  • Page 31
    ... is clear: to oversee how management serves the interests of shareowners and other stakeholders. To do this, GE's directors have adopted corporate governance principles aimed at ensuring that the board is independent and is fully informed on the key strategic issues facing GE. GE's goal is to have...

  • Page 32
    ... C. Wright 4 Vice Chairman of the Board and Executive Officer, General Electric Company, and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, NBC Universal, Inc. Director since 2000. 1 Audit Committee 2 Management Development and Compensation Committee 3 Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee 4 Public...

  • Page 33
    ... $1.1 million in grants. GE donated more than $10 million in equipment and services, including two water purification systems to Indonesia that have the capacity to provide potable water for tens of thousands of people daily. Two telethons hosted by NBC Universal on its television stations and its...