Rebustes (Online 3302 Unit 1 Assignment, Fall 2013) 1

Joy Rebustes English 3302 Tom Akbari Unit 1 Final Draft 16 September 2013 Analysis of Engineering Press Releases: GEs LEAP Engine How a company presents a new product is important, especially for a corporation that is renowned for innovation. Take General Electric, a company whose slogan is Imagination at work. General Electric, also known as GE, engineers various products ranging many fields, such as appliances, medical equipment, engines, and energy methods. Whatever the product, GE boasts that its technology is the most current and efficient. General Electric as a company is prosperous for many reasons, but one of the biggest explanations may be GEs excellent ability to publicize its products. GE is great at promoting both its merchandise and reputation using television, radio, and even social media. Press releases focus on both creating a buzz for the particular product, while also promoting the company itself. The self-promotion esteems the company, attracting potential investors, customers and future employees. By creating a constant need for their products and career opportunities, GE generates a competitive market for sales and job applications. These press release articles that promote new technology are significant because of the large impact they have on the entire company. Without well-written press releases, GE would not be able to effectively sell their newest products. A great demonstration of this is an article titled GE Started Testing Next-Gen Jet Engine with 3D Printed Parts. In this article, GE describes its progress with an engine called LEAP, which has 3D-printed nozzles and carbon-fiber composite blades. Other parts of the engine are made of ceramic matrix composites, capable of operating at 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit while also being significantly lighter than metal. Though the article itself is featured on GEs website, the

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LEAP engine is a combined effort between GE and Snecma, an aircraft manufacturing company based in France. The unity of these two companies, called CFM International, promises that this engine is among the most advanced jet engines for next-generation commercial aircrafts1(par. 2). Part of what makes this article so interesting is the title itself. Mentioning 3D printing is what brings in interested readers, especially those who work in the technical fields. 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is the up and coming technology developing in engineering. According to an interview with Terry Wohlers, a leading authority on additive manufacturing, the 3D printing market achieved a net worth of $2.2 billion dollars in 2012 and is expected to approach $6 billion dollars by 2017 worldwide2(par. 3) . He even mentions LEAP engine in the article, explaining how production applications of 3D printing, such as these engine nozzles, are expected to spark similar projects like this at other companies2(par. 9). With all this money invested in exploring additive manufacturing from so many diverse companies, it is clearly becoming a hot trend within the engineering world. GE had picked up on this trend early. Producing finished parts with 3D printing is not typical, especially on something requiring longevity and endurance such as an engine. However, somehow, GE has discovered a way to make this happen. Although the engine is only partially 3D printed, this fact must be in the title because it is one of the most interesting parts about the LEAP engine. Incorporating 3D printing into the title brings in curious engineers, who after reading the article, are impressed with GEs efforts in creating a finished engine made from 3D parts. This reinforces the reputation of GEs innovation and creates excitement among engineering communities, improving possibilities of more sales. Although the reader may not be consciously aware of it, the general layout of the article assists GE in promoting the company and the LEAP engine. Scattered throughout the article are

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hyperlinks leading to additional articles, deeper into GEs report website, which highlight all their achievements in the past few months with this project. The right hand array of pictures redirects to even more articles about the LEAP engine. Exploring farther into information about this engine increases the chances of more publicity on the product. All of this material could be summed up in one article; however, by splitting up different facts about the LEAP engine in several articles, it is much less overwhelming and allows readers to explore separately what he or she is most interested in. In addition, by looking through several articles, the reader may stumble upon a different GE project and be pulled into reading those articles as well. On the left hand side of the article is a floating widget with links to share the article via Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Google+, and Linkdin. Social media allows people to spread the word about events they feel are significant. With one click by a reader, this article reaches a whole new audience that can be spread like wildfire, at no cost to GE. Having Linkdin, a social site with a more professional basis, increases the possibility of two different things. Firstly, if this article catches a professionals eye on Linkin, there is a greater chance that this individual will want to send a resume to GE. This creates a competitive market of applications to GE, allowing the company to choose the best employees at their corporation. Secondly, Linkdin allows users to connect with people who are in similar career paths. If one engineer decides to share this article on Linkdin, the engineering-related community it is shared to is more likely to respond to its content. A comments section wraps up the article at the end, allowing the public to create a discussion. A discussion would create more propaganda and increase the chances of spreading to more people. All of this makes it very clear that this article is meant to be read and shared in order to promote its sales and the company name.

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Looking more closely into the text, the first sentence of the article indicates GEs desire to promote the LEAP engine as innovative: Engineers at GEs Peebles Test Operation in Ohio have started testing one of the worlds most advanced jet engines designed for next-generation passenger aircraft. The usage of worlds most advanced is meant to sway readers to believe that GEs advancements make them the company to beat. This first sentence sets the tone for the rest of the text, which is all meant to convince readers that the LEAP engine is worthy of being bought and talked about. The article also states that the engine fired for the first time on Sept. 4, two days ahead of schedule. The author includes this as a kind of foreshadow for the future. The author is essentially telling interested buyers that this project is running smoothly, ahead of scheduled, and it is a secure purchase to invest now. Toward the end of the article, there are three paragraphs that all seem to begin similarly: CFM is developing three versions of the LEAP engine for three different single-aisle aircraft. The LEAP-1A engine will serve on Airbus A320neo planes. The LEAP-1B will power Boeing 737MAX jets, and the LEAP-1C will propel COMACs C919 aircraft. CFM executives said that the LEAP, which is part of GEs ecomagination portfolio, would improve fuel consumption by 15 percent and deliver an equivalent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to todays best CFM engine. It will also bring dramatic reductions in engine noise and emissions, the company said in a news release. CFM has received orders for 5,446 LEAP engines valued over $70 billion. They include orders from carriers like AirAsia, Southwest, Virgin America, Lion Air, Pegasus, Qantas, WestJet and dozens of other airlines around the world1 (par. 6-10)..

There is a parallelism between all three of these paragraphs. They all begin with CFM saying or doing something that lists off facts and statistics about the LEAP engine. The repetitiveness of these paragraphs are to spit out details about the engine that buyers would be

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interested in reading, rather than the technical information that the casual engineering reader would be interested in. These buyers, who most probably have experience in buying airplane engines, would want to know what kind of planes this LEAP engine would cater to. The author lets them know that there will be three versions to choose from. The second paragraph tells a potential buyer why to choose this engine as opposed to others: it cuts fuels consumption and noise reduction compared to even the best CFM engine in the current market. Finally, an investor, rather than a casual reader, would be interested in what companies have already spent their money on this product. As seen in the third paragraph, the author includes much respected airline carriers to impress buyers. The article then wraps up with two simple sentences: The testing program for the LEAP-1A engine will culminate in engine certification in 2015. The first entry into commercial service on the Airbus A320neo is planned for 20161 (par. 11). These last two sentences are meant to inform the buyer of when to expect the completion of the LEAP engine and to let them know the engine will be certified and tested. These last paragraphs are very straight to the point to quickly convince a possible purchaser that buying the LEAP engine is a sturdy decision. This article does what it is supposed to do: sell. It sells the LEAP engine and the reputation of the company. It easily captures the attention of interested buyers and casual engineers by using the uprising 3D printing technology in its title. It allows readers effortlessly share the exciting news of the engine through a social media widget, giving GE additional advertising at no cost to the company. With careful wording and including vital information on the LEAP engine, it is likely the engine will sell well. Clearly, press releases such as this article uphold GEs high status as the forefront leader in engineering.

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Reference 1. GE Started Testing Next-Gen Jet Engine with 3D Printed Parts. GE Reports [Internet]. 2013 Sept 10 [cited 2013 Sept 11]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.gereports.com/ge-started-testing-next-gen-jet-engine-with-3d-printed-parts/ 2. Anderson, Gary. The Future of 3D Printing with Terry Wohlers. Engineering.Com 3D Printing News and Commentary for Professionals [Internet]. 2013 Sept 9 [cited 2013 Sept 13]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.engineering.com/3DPrinting/3DPrintingArticles/ArticleID/6294/The-Future-of3D-Printing-With-Terry-Wohlers.aspx