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GE Wants to Try a New Refrigerant

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GE is asking for federal approval to use, in the U.S., a type of refrigerant that has low global warming potential and is widely used in Europe and Asia.

The company has filed a petition with the Environmental Protection Agency to allow it to use isobutane, a hydrocarbon, in household refrigerators. Hydrocarbons like propane and butane have been used in fridges elsewhere in the world for years as replacements for HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) and HCFCs (hydrochlorofluorocarbons).

Although HFCs and HCFCs were originally introduced to replace chemicals that contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer, they are thousands of time more powerful than carbon dioxide in contributing to global warming. Hydrocarbons have no impact on the ozone layer and have a much smaller impact on global warming than HFCs and HCFCs.

Ben & Jerry’s recently gained permission from the EPA to test up to 2,000 ice cream cases chilled with butane, and Greenpeace, which developed the GreenFreeze technology used in hydrocarbon-based refrigerators, has been pushing companies to bring the fridges to the U.S.

If the EPA approves GE’s request, the company plans to use isobutane in a new GE Monogram refrigerator planned to launch in early 2010. GE also plans to use cyclopentane, another hydrocarbon, as the insulation foam-blowing agent in place of an HFC foam blowing agents. The development team behind the fridge also plans to seek ecomagination certification, GE’s in-house process for evaluating and labeling energy-efficient products. The company has seen success with its ecomagination line, expecting sales of ecomagination products to reach over $17 billion this year.

You can read the whole story here.

Haier Still Considering GE

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News had it that Haier planned to make an offer for the appliance division of GE, but Haier said it plans not to bid for General Electric Co’s appliances unit until it sees clear signs of a U.S. market recovery, according to a Reuters report.

A bid for GE’s appliances business, which the U.S. giant put on the block in May, could be Haier’s last opportunity to buy a household U.S. brand, part of its ambitions to reach global consumers rather than just Chinese, the report said.

According to the Reuters report, a source who worked with Haier executives to evaluate the potential GE deal said the other concern for Haier is how to pay for it, as Haier would rather not borrow from commercial banks.

In May, GE’s CEO Jeff Immelt named companies including Haier, South Korea’s LG Electronics, and Turkey’s Arcelik ARCLK.IS as possible bidders for the second-largest U.S. appliance maker after Whirlpool Corp. No formal bids have been announced yet, and the plans of the other possible bidders have not been confirmed. With sales of $7.2 billion last year, the unit is worth an estimated US$4 billion to $8 billion.

GE to Launch New Line of Smart Appliances

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In the first Quarter of 2009, GE will introduce a suite of ”smart” appliances.  Energy Manage-ment Enabled Appliances. These GE appliances will be enabled to receive a signal from their local utility. The appliances will receive the control message and react based on the appliance internal programming. It requires no consumer interaction.

”Now that ENERGY STAR® appliances are recognized by 75% of American consumers, the next step is to reshape when energy is being used,” said Kevin Nolan, Vice President Technology for GE Consumer & Industrial. ”Peak hour energy demand is growing faster than total energy demand. It is imperative that we begin to shift some of the energy load from peak hours to other parts of the day – – helping to avoid the need to build new power plants to meet the demand,” he explained.

For example, the automatic defrost feature on GE refrigerators is initiated by the internal electronics based on the number of refrigerator door openings and other input signals. If the refrigerator can delay the defrost cycle from occurring during peak energy usage hours, consumers will save money by paying for the same amount of energy later in the day when the rates are lower.

In addition to ”smart” refrigerators, GE will enable ranges, laundry pairs, dishwashers and microwave ovens to receive and respond to communications from the utility company. Consumers will be notified of a rate change or of critical peak pricing by the display on their appliances letting them know when higher rates are in effect. Appliances will be programmed to avoid energy usage during that time but consumers may choose to override the program – giving them ultimate control.

Win a New GE Profile Washer/Dryer Pair

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Visit Times Square on August 26th, 2008 for a free demonstration of GE’s newest washer/dryer pair. Between 8 a.m. ET and 4 p.m. ET, be sure to enter this event’s sweepstakes for a chance to win your own GE Profile frontload laundry pair with a SmartDispense pedestal and dryer storage pedestal.

The Washer:

Uses H2ition to sense the right amount of water and temperature for each load (ENERGY STAR® qualified)
Communicates electronically with the dryer to preset dry cycles and help save time
Stain Inspector ™ provides more than 40 different preprogrammed stain treatments
Offers SmartDispense technology, which when used with the optional pedestal can store and dispense 6 months worth of detergent and fabric softener

The Dryer:

Uses a reverse tumble to offer the fastest, most even drying
Includes a built-in dryer rack and hanger clip for more drying options
Has a 7.5 cubic foot capacity

Will GE’s Appliances Suffer Under a New Owner?

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By now, GE’s upcoming sale of their popular appliance division is common knowledge and many people are wondering what will become of one of the most popular brands in the US when it is sold.  GE appliances rank highly with sources such as Consumer Reports.  When news that GE was considering a sale of the appliance arm, the magazine reported how various GE appliances stacked up against rivals. Most did pretty well.   GE had many highly rated (though a few poorly rated, including a ‘not acceptable’ in upright freezers ) models in many product categories and across price points.

According to the Wall Street Journal’s Deal Journal, for the most part, those considered to be potential bidders for the GE business–Sweden’s Electrolux, LG Electronics, BSH Bosch & Siemens Hausgerate of Germany, to name a few–match that. The outlier? Haier. Haier’s Genesis is No. 22, or fourth from the bottom in the rankings of top-loading washing machines and dead last in both large countertop microwave ovens (No. 15) and side-by-side refrigerators (No. 34).

The obvious question? Would a Haier-GE combination lead to an improvement in Haier’s own brand or would it pull down the reputation of the GE brand? Unfortunately, the question isn’t, well, academic. The folks at consumer-satisfaction surveyer J.D. Power & Associates said studying whether or how an acquisition of a high-quality brand by a lower-quality brand affected either brand would be nearly impossible, since it would be difficult to identify what was an effect of the deal or integration as compared with the myriad other issues that affect quality, like design, manufacturing, parts/raw materials.

Of course, Haier has has been down this road before, coming close to but ultimately failing to acquire another well-regarded U.S. brand, Maytag, in 2005. Then Haier’s plan was said to follow the Lenovo way, referring to the Chinese PC maker’s slow conversion of IBM Thinkpads to the Lenovo brand after it acquired the Big Blue business. For its part, Haier declines to confirm whether it was indeed bidding for the GE business or comment on how it would handle the integration should it comsumate a deal.

GE Monogram with Advantium Speedcook Technology

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The Monogram Wall Oven with Advantium Speedcook Technology has led the way in oven performance, harnessing the power of intense halogen light to deliver results in minutes with this exclusive GE technology. Today, the Advantium pushes the boundaries of culinary innovation even further with a  repertoire of cooking capabilities and enhanced design options.

Performance Capabilities


New Monogram Advantium ovens now offer four separate cooking modes:

• Award-winning Speedcook technology delivers oven-quality results up to eight times faster than conventional cooking methods, with no preheating.

• True European convection mode bakes, roasts and browns foods.

• Microwave mode provides a fully-functioning microwave mode that allows fast, precise reheating and defrosting.

• Warming mode keeps prepared dishes at ready-to-serve temperatures.

Enhanced Design Options with Larger Interiors

The  performance capabilities are matched by the bold exteriors, which complement other Monogram cooking products:

• Integrated-style models make an architectural impression with sleek, horizontal lines set off by tubular handles and a machined stainless steel control knob.

• Professional-style modelsare designed with chamfered edges and a robust, die-cast control knob.

• Glass touch controls, stainless steel vent/grille and an expansive viewing window on each model.

• Larger interior cavity easily accommodates roasts or casserole dishes on a 16-inch diameter tray that holds a 9-by-13-inch pan, while the addition of a removable rack allows for multi-level convection baking.

Monogram Advantium ovens with integrated styling are offered in stainless steel (ZSC2201NSS), black (ZSC2200NBB) and white (ZSC2200WBB). Professional models are available in premium-grade stainless steel (ZSC2202NSS).

GE CEO cites five potential bidders for appliances

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General Electric Co Chief Executive Jeff Immelt on Wednesday named five non-U.S. appliance manufacturers, including China‘s Haier, South Korea‘s LG Electronics, Sweden’s Electrolux, Mexico‘s Controladora Mabe and Turkey’s Arcelik, as potential bidders for the company’s century-old appliances business.

The chief of the second-largest U.S. company by market capitalization said it was “obvious” who would be interested in the unit, which last year sold $7.2 billion worth of refrigerators, washing machines and other household appliances.

“The players have become somewhat obvious,” Immelt told reporters in South Korea. “It is Haier in China, it is LG in Korea, it’s Mabe in Mexico, it’s Arcelik in Turkey.”

In Beijing, he added another name to the list of suspects: “Whether LG or Haier or Electrolux or others participate remains to be seen.”

None of those companies confirmed their interest.

After stunning investors in April with an unexpected drop in quarterly profit, GE said this month it would look to sell or spin off its appliances unit, saying the business was too focused on the United States.

Analysts and investors have estimated the business, which is No. 2 in the U.S. behind Whirlpool Corp. could sell for $4 billion to $8 billion. Whirlpool is the world’s largest appliance maker.

Immelt’s comments could be an effort to see if there are other interested bidders who have not yet made themselves known to the company, said Peter Sorrentino, senior vice president and portfolio manager at Huntington Asset Advisors, which manages $6.5 billion in assets and holds GE shares.

“I wonder if he’s not tapping tree trunks with a stick trying to figure out if there’s bees in there,” Sorrentino said.

STILL ‘EARLY ON’

Immelt’s remarks came just a week after he told investors GE that the company was “seriously” considering spinning off the appliances unit.

“The appliance process is still very early on, and much still has to be decided,” Immelt said in Beijing on Wednesday.

GE’s well-known brand name could appeal to a foreign appliance manufacturer looking to build its profile in the United States while capitalizing on lower-cost production.

Goodmorning Shinhan Securities analyst Steve Lee said, “I doubt LG Elec would be interested in pursuing this deal, since there’s little the company can gain. There’s a lot of overlap between the businesses with little premium potential for LG.”

Lee said Immelt’s comments could be aimed at drumming up interest from a small pool of potential candidates with deep-enough pockets to buy the business.