Media Contact:
Alicia Bowers
GE Fanuc Automation
(410) 242-0300, alicia.bowers@gefanuc.com
W. Kent Lorenz, Meritage
262-523-3400 ext.100, klorenz@ellisonwi.com 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

GE Fanuc Names Meritage Authorized CNC Solutions Preferred Distributor
Key North American Machine Tool Distributor to Support Services to Boost Lean Manufacturing

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- May 19, 2003--  GE Fanuc Automation Americas, Inc., an affiliate of GE Industrial Systems, has named Meritage, Inc., North America's largest machine tool distribution company, as an authorized CNC preferred distributor of GE Fanuc Six Sigma Lean Manufacturing solutions. Six Sigma Lean Manufacturing solutions from GE Fanuc power continuous process improvement to help decrease costs, reduce lead times and enable companies to better meet the needs of their customers. 

With locations that span North America, Meritage will provide significantly enhanced localized services and support, including inventory, training, sales representation, and technical assistance. Manufacturing and job shop end users will benefit from on-site services for setup reduction, total productive maintenance or reliability-centered maintenance, value-stream mapping and analysis, single-piece flow pull optimization, error proofing, adaptive control, and more.

"The alliance with Meritage greatly enhances support for GE Fanuc CNC solutions that improve productivity and quality while reducing machining costs," said Douglas Peterson, vice president, CNCs and lasers, GE Fanuc Automation. "Customers will be able to obtain innovative products, training and support - all from a preferred local representative."

Lee Morris, president of Meritage, said, "We're proud to form a strategic alliance with GE Fanuc and expand the opportunities for customers to obtain lean manufacturing solutions that drive productivity as well as apply new technologies to solve old problems on existing machines. This alliance is consistent with our commitment to offer customers manufacturing advantages that are simply unavailable from others."

About Meritage 
Meritage, Inc. was founded in 1999 by combining the three largest North American machine tool sales, engineering and services companies. The company provides machine tools, factory automation and technical support to manufacturers of all sizes. Meritage employees over 700 people and has sales revenues in excess of $400 million. For more information, visit www.meritageinc.com.

About GE Fanuc Automation
GE Fanuc Automation Americas, Inc., is a leading global supplier of automation solutions and is a joint venture between GE and FANUC LTD of Japan. GE Fanuc products and services include collaborative production management, HMI/SCADA and plant intelligence software; nano to high-end controllers; embedded systems; a wide range of CNCs; motion control; operator interfaces; industrial computers; lasers; and integration and customer support services. Headquartered in Charlottesville, Va., GE Fanuc is part of GE Industrial Systems. For more information, visit www.gefanuc.com. 

About GE Industrial Systems
Since the founding of the General Electric Company (NYSE: GE) by Thomas Edison in 1882, GE Industrial Systems has been known for technical innovation. GE Industrial Systems has over 7,600 U.S. and foreign patents on products that help provide peace of mind for people, the properties they own and their workplaces. In 2001 alone, GE Industrial Systems filed more than 200 U.S. and 340 foreign patent applications.

GE Industrial Systems spans the globe as an industry leader in integrated industrial, electrical and security equipment, systems and services. The business brings to customers the latest technologies that are used to distribute, protect and control energy and equipment, and to provide premise management. GE provides innovative product and service solutions for commercial, industrial, residential and utility customers. For more information visit the website at: www.geindustrial.com.

# # #