“What we are looking for are highly skilled software and IT security specialists, because we are convinced industrial Internet will generate an economic development boom,” says Cristian Coltescu, chairman and chief executive officer of General Electric for Romania, Bulgaria and the Republic of Moldova.
The move in Romania is part of a global strategy of GE to take the step into a new era.
“GE as a group is ready to take the step from an industrial to a digital company. The goal is to become one of the largest software companies in the world by 2020.”
GE is also one of the leading local manufacturers of equipment for the oil industry through its Lufkin plant near Ploiesti. GE also makes aircraft parts at its Unison Engine Components plant in the Bucharest district of Militari and took over energy equipment manufacturing operations in the Alstom General Turbo plant on the IMGB industrial site in southern Bucharest. The three plants will export about $100 million worth this year, Colteanu says.
GE has 1,000 employees in Romania at the moment, about 350 of which joining the group after the takeover of the Alstom assets.
GE completed global takeover of the energy division of France’s Alstom in a $9.5 billion deal last November. In Romania, the deal entailed takeover of a production facility, Alstom General Turbo IMGB, which makes turbine components and a center employing software engineers specializing in development of products for the energy infrastructure. This is the entity GE wants to turn into a hub in Romania.
“We hired 100 new people in the first half, all of them software engineers. Strategically, Romania is part of a digital technology hub that GE is developing in the region. Our network management solutions (NMS) center in Bucharest is an important pillar in the medium and long-term development of the company in Romania.”
GE will continue to strengthen the segment and hire another about 40 people by yearend, and 100 in 2017, Colteanu added.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)