New technology brings GE Appliances closer to a ‘zero-distance’ supply chain

GE Appliances has invested $3.5 billion in U.S. operations since 2016 and plans to invest another $3 billion over the next five years to support its “zero distance” supply chain vision, led by VP of Supply Chain Bill Good.

A large share of the new $3 billion will fund the installation of advanced automation across 11 manufacturing facilities and microfactories, enabling fully automated production of key components like refrigerator doors, oven cavities, and steel cases.

Automation has cut labor hours significantly, allowing many appliances to be produced in under two labor hours, a reduction of at least 50% compared to 25 years ago.

The company's real-time data stream provides visibility into equipment issues, inventory alerts, and component shortages, reducing downtime from 15 to 20 percent historically to less than 5 percent in most facilities while improving end-to-end tracking from countries such as China and Italy.

Material movement is being accelerated with autonomous vehicles inside plants and a pilot automated box truck that transports goods from factories to warehouses without human drivers.