Current by GE Marks Industrial Lighting Milestone as Fortune 500 Companies Transition to Sensor-Enabled Ceilings

Current, powered by GE (NYSE:GE) announced a production milestone and significant shift in the adoption of its industrial lighting technology at GE’s Minds + Machines conference in San Francisco this week. The business is celebrating shipment of its one millionth Albeo LED fixture, a product primarily used in industrial manufacturing facilities. Since acquiring the Albeo product line in 2012, industrial companies like GM, Cummins, Nissan and Berry Global have fueled explosive demand and sent production skyrocketing from 20,000 units to 1 million in just 5 years.

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Much of the growth stems from manufacturers’ increasing desire for intelligent, digitally connected lighting. Current reported that Albeo fixtures equipped with sensors doubled from 16 percent of shipments in 2015 to 30 percent in 2016. By 2020, Current expects the number of digitally connected units to exceed 90 percent. These sensors help manufacturers extend use cases beyond energy efficiency, into building management and productivity.

“Industrial customers are quickly realizing that the most efficient lighting solution is one that communicates with other building systems and solves a plethora of business challenges all at once,” said Maryrose Sylvester, President & CEO of Current by GE. “The Albeo team pioneered wireless controls for industrial solutions, and today we are proud to be bringing next generation of technology to many of the country’s leading manufacturers.”

For most commercial buildings, lighting represents approximately 40 percent of all energy consumption.* Manufacturers typically cut lighting energy expenses in half by installing Current’s Albeo LED fixtures. Today the industry has advanced beyond simple energy efficiency benefits, as Fortune 500 companies are increasingly using intelligent lighting to streamline operations, reduce maintenance costs and improve employee safety and productivity.

For example, GM has replaced 80,000 traditional lighting fixtures with Current’s Albeo LED fixtures at 45 sites around the world since 2016. In addition to reducing energy expenses by 60 percent, the sensor-enabled fixtures collect data on temperature, humidity and movement. When fixtures work together to share insights across GM’s entire footprint, the company can realize even greater efficiencies.

“The energy story is a critical starting point, but it is only part of the promise of intelligent building technologies,” explained Casey Talon, Principal Research Analyst at Navigant Research. “As the market continues to mature, a more comprehensive story is unfolding around the business value of digital transformation in commercial buildings.”

At GE’s Minds + Machines 2017, Current and its customers shared detailed insights and case studies on how a ubiquitous lighting infrastructure can gather data and inform business decisions. Made possible by the underlying architecture of GE’s Predix** platform, which was designed for the Industrial Internet-of-Things, several manufacturers are working with the Current team to build applications as diverse as space management, daylight harvesting, occupancy and motion detection, connected HVAC, asset tracking and more. The Industrial Internet is expected to grow to more than 50 billion connected assets by 2020.

“The most efficient lighting senses the environment around it,” Sylvester explained. “With an overhead digital infrastructure acting as the eyes and ears of an industrial facility, the building can be transformed from a cost center to a legitimate business asset.”

To learn more about GE Minds + Machines visit https://www.ge.com/digital/minds-machines.

About Current, powered by GE:

Current is the digital engine for intelligent environments. A first-of-its-kind startup within the walls of GE (NYSE: GE), Current blends advanced energy technologies like LED and solar with networked sensors and software to make commercial buildings and industrial facilities more energy efficient & productive. Backed by the power of Predix**, GE’s platform for the Industrial Internet, and a broad ecosystem of technology partners, Current is helping businesses and cities unlock hidden value and realize the potential of their environments. www.currentbyge.com

About GE:

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com

* according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration

** Indicates a trademark of the General Electric Company

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