A new Center of Excellence (COE) being built in Burgenland, Austria, is expected to generate significant productivity and cost improvements for GE Capital Global Consumer Finance (GCF).

The COE will be the residence for important, but often unseen, operations, including application processing, direct loans, collections and a number of other customer service functions. “Our goal is to be able to serve the growing needs of customers from the German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and parts of Switzerland) with the best quality, speed and efficiency possible,” says Charlie Crabtree, senior vice president and chief operating officer of GCF.

The Center is part of an overall plan to organize and streamline GE Capital consumer services in Central and Eastern Europe.

“We did a careful study of the region and planned the project using the Six Sigma DMADV [Define, Measure, Analyze, Design and Verify] approach to find the best location for these kind of services, and to map out every activity as effectively as possible,” Crabtree explains. “Burgenland is ideally positioned and designed to support our growth and efficiency goals, providing available, well-trained, German speaking personnel, an excellent infrastructure and the opportunity to design a tailor-made facility. This project is our first step in creating COEs in Central and Eastern Europe.”

"GE Capital continues to grow dramatically around the world, especially in Central Europe." –Jenne Britell

The idea for the center was first presented in October of 1998, and less than two months later the first employee was hired. While a permanent site is under construction, 80 people have been trained and are working in applica-tion processing, collections and customer service at a temporary site nearby, explained Raven Lyons, global operations manager and project leader. “By June 1999, the plan is to add more people and move into the new center,” she added.

The new facility, in Burgenland’s Technologiepark Eisenstadt, is projected to house 300 employees over a four-year period. It features the latest computer and telecommunications technology, creating one of the most advanced GE Capital operations of its kind.

GCF expects to achieve 20-25 percent productivity improvements and signif-icantly lower supplier and indirect costs.

GCF was able to secure incentives from the Austrian government in the form of training subsidies, grants for capital expenditures and rent reductions.

“GE Capital continues to grow dramatically around the world, especially in Central Europe,” says Jenne Britell, president and CEO of GE Capital Central and Eastern Europe. “We feel strongly that our new location in Burgenland will help us continue to generate growth with the most efficient customer service possible.”