June 18, 2013

Accenture and GE Form Global Strategic Alliance to Develop Advanced Applications that Leverage Industrial Strength Big Data to Drive Efficiency and Productivity



Two companies expand relationship initiated by aviation industry joint venture Taleris


SAN FRANCISCO, CA; June 18, 2013 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and GE (NYSE: GE) have formed a strategic global alliance to develop technology and analytics applications that help companies across a range of industries take advantage of the massive amounts of industrial strength big data that is generated through their business operations. The alliance expands on Accenture and GE’s relationship announced in 2012 with the establishment of Taleris - a joint venture to deliver a co-developed, web-based prognostics service for aircraft parts and systems which helps manage preventive maintenance.

The two companies will jointly develop and market new technology services and pre-packaged solutions that can substantially impact efficiency and productivity. This is envisioned to include cloud-based, intelligent analytics solutions that can proactively monitor the performance of machines, infrastructure, or business processes to maximize productivity and help enable better and faster decision making. This capability can help reduce system or operational down times, reduce maintenance costs, and increase supply chain efficiencies.

“Accenture and GE share a common vision of a future where the intersection of people, data and intelligent machines will have an enormous impact on the productivity and efficiency of industries around the world,” said Marty Cole, group chief executive of Technology, Accenture. “Our Taleris joint venture has been a model of collaboration to leverage the power of cloud and analytics in order to bring intelligent operations services to the aviation industry. Our expanded alliance with GE means we can bring an even broader array of technology, big data and analytics capabilities to improve the business operations of a wide range of companies and industries."

To create and deploy joint technology solutions, the companies anticipate they will utilize complementary technology assets and platforms. GE’s technology will be used to build core application capabilities and integrate internal GE applications, while Accenture’s Managed Mobile Services Platform (AMMS) will be leveraged to integrate with third-parties and support device communications. The Accenture Cloud Platform (ACP) is expected to be leveraged as the cloud orchestration layer.

“By connecting machines, data and people through the Industrial Internet, a mere 1% efficiency improvement can lead to billions of dollars in savings for major industries," said Bill Ruh, vice president, GE Software. "It will take resources and effort, but to reap these benefits will require a sustained effort in technology innovation and putting in place a set of key enablers including a robust analytics platform and algorithms for delivering game changing solutions. Our strategic alliance and the investments we will make with Accenture will be fundamental for transforming industry and lives.”

Taleris is a joint venture established by GE and Accenture to provide airlines and cargo carriers around the world with intelligent operations services, focused on improving efficiency by leveraging aircraft performance data, prognostics, recovery and planning optimization solutions that include assets and capabilities from both Accenture and GE. Since its launch in December 2012, Taleris has grown its customer base to 24 customers worldwide. Taleris is headquartered in Irving, Texas, with an affiliate site in Eastleigh, UK.

About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 261,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About GE
GE {NYSE: GE} works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works.

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Contact

Peter Soh
Accenture
+ 703 947 2571
peter.y.soh@accenture.com

Leigh Farris
GE
+ 646 682 5603
leigh.farris@ge.com