GE teams with small businesses

LYNN ? More than 300 small businesses in Massachusetts, including some from Lynn and the North Shore, are attempting to forge a relationship with the General Electric Co. to provide the aircraft engine manufacturer with goods and services.”We have a dynamic operation in Lynn that counts heavily on numerous supplier firms to help us run efficiently and productively,” said Maria Deacon, GE Lynn Area executive and general manager.Deacon was among the GE executives to lead a tour of the Western Avenue facility last week and give an update on the company’s efforts to gain a portion of the Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter contract.The fighter plane, also known as the F-35 Lightning, will be used by the Air Force, Navy and Marines, making it the largest Defense Department expenditure in history. The engine contract was initially awarded to rival Pratt & Whitney, but GE has worked to obtain a second-source contract to build its version of the jet engine ? the F136.State Economic Development Secretary Greg Bialecki told the small business owners their attempt to reach out to GE in Lynn is in lockstep with the state’s initiatives to help generate new commerce and exchange information.According to Richard Gorham, a spokesman for GE Lynn, the requirements and process for becoming a GE supplier were explained to the visitors during breakout sessions where the representatives of various commodity groups met one-on-one with the company’s sourcing staff.”Indirect supplies are materials or services such as engineering, construction, grounds keeping, tooling, and providing shop supplies that don’t end up as part of GE’s final products, which are mostly aircraft engines,” Gorham said. “This was an awareness session. Most of the people who attended had never been in here before. It gave them a chance to see if their business might fit the need and learn about the process that can make it happen.”Overall, GE as a company spends approximately $1.2 billion annually with companies in Massachusetts. Of that amount, $270 million is related to GE Aviation through production and indirect purchases.Currently, $120 million of indirect supplies and materials is procured from firms within Massachusetts, Gorham said.”Our goal was to create a greater awareness among small enterprises in the state as to our supplier needs and opportunities,” said Troy Dayon, GE’s indirect sourcing leader. “We’re hopeful and optimistic that we will be able to expand our supplier base in Massachusetts.”Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, state Sen. Thomas McGee and state Reps. Mark Falzone and Lori Ehrlich attended the briefing in a show of support.or an information session at GE Lynn to learn about how the company uses goods and services from local enterprises as part of its daily operations.