Quote:
Originally Posted by DavGoodlin
Unfortunately GE commercial/industrial electrical distribution gear is about on par with their appliances these days. It used to be good, solid stuff all the way through the 1980s.  |
I don't know if this is really a fair generalization to make - their medium voltage vacuum circuit breakers and especially their protective relays seem to be as good as anything on the market. GE Multilin protective relays are used extensively in power distribution and from what I have seen they've been reliable and well performing products.
Electrical distribution gear by all manufacturers is getting lighter and cheaper over time... if GE didn't make some changes to keep up with modern needs they would go the way of Westinghouse.
It seems to me that GE is a company which is heavily (or exclusively) driven by profit margins and quarterly reports, but when the giant flexes its muscles it can accomplish great things. Look at their jet engines for example for some very impressive US technology.
The fact is no electrical company in North America will ever again see the glory days where the whole country needs power, and foreign competition is nearly non-existent. Let's just hope GE can hold on and the whole world doesn't get owned by the European giants like Siemens, Schnieder Electric, ABB, etc.