The new brand comes in response to the new owner and management team working together to offer:

Partnering with and offering our customers, not products, but solutions for the sound and emissions challenges they bring is our primary target. Our customers and our sales channel can expect enhanced solutions, superior customer service and a significant commitment to the environment. We’re proud of the foundation laid by GT Exhaust Systems and have identified new opportunities, changing to build a different, stronger company."

Offering solutions for a cleaner, quieter world, GTE is also making environmentally-conscious changes in the way it operates. Some of these include the move towards decreasing paper usage and electronic data initiatives while partnering with companies to develop the cleaner, more cost effective solutions.

A global leader in sound and emissions solutions, GTE Industries manufactures solutions for sound attenuation, emission control and heat challenges. Originating as the go-to for silencers in the United States, GTE has since expanded its solutions to span the globe—offering silencers, catalytic converters, diesel particulate filters, accessories and other products throughout. For more information about GTE Industries, visit www.gteind.com, call (800) 775-2466 or email Douglas Twyford at dtwyford@gteind.com.

American small businesses bring constant innovation to the marketplace—including cutting-edge "green" technologies. In fact, entrepreneurs already make up 90% of the renewable-energy sector and lead the way in the harnessing of wind and solar power. That success, coupled with new commercial opportunities for traditional small firms, offers solid evidence that green entrepreneurship is not just good for the planet, it can jumpstart the lagging U.S. economy. Members of the House Committee on Small Business today heard from a panel of experts who discussed the many economic benefits brought on by this dynamic new business sector.

"Green technology has taken on an important new role—that of market stimulus, and entrepreneurs are levering it to forge a clear path to economic recovery," said Chairwoman Nydia M. Velázquez. "That’s definitely good for the environment, but it also means new jobs and increased economic activity."

Green firms add $933 billion to the economy each year and employ more than 11 million workers. In fact, in 2006 alone, these small businesses hired eight million new workers. By 2030, the number is expected to reach 40 million employees—or 25% of the American workforce. Most of the jobs are in traditional small business industries, including farming, construction, plumbing, and electrical engineering.

"Transforming the U.S. into the world’s leading green economy is a defining challenge of our time, and all workers—from PhDs to blue collar employees—can benefit from this revolution without switching careers or being re-trained," said Chairwoman Velázquez.

Witnesses at the hearing also noted that global demand for alternative energy systems is on the rise, and that if American firms can meet the needs of the international market, the U.S. economy stands to reap trillions of dollars in export revenue. At home, meanwhile, the continued expansion of green firms has led to lower costs for consumers. In fact, while oil prices continue to soar, the price for wind-powered energy and other alternative fuel technology has fallen more than 80%. The result is lower prices for Americans and greater global market share for U.S. companies.

The biomass plants will provide much-needed electricity to support local grid networks at a time when China’s demand for power is projected to grow by about 13.5% in 2008, with the country’s total annual demand currently exceeding 3.7 trillion kilowatt hours (kWh). The 50 plants will each feature two, 12MW power blocks that will generate a total of 7.2 billion kWh per year, which is enough to support an average of 70,000 families in China.

GE is providing its distributed controls technology to Wuhan Kaidi Electric Power Engineering Co., Ltd., which is building the biomass plants in the Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Shanxi, Fujian, Jiangsu and Jiangxi regions. Rice husk, straw and animal manure will be used as the biomass stock.

The projects will mark the global debut of GE Energy’s OC 4000™ distributed control systems (DCS) for biomass power generation applications. The integrated controls platform will link all plant operations, data acquisition and performance analysis to control and protect the biomass plants’ steam turbine, boiler and auxiliary devices. A simulation system will be provided for operating and maintenance training. The DCS technology will optimize the performance of the plants, making the projects more economically viable for developer Wuhan Kaidi.

Saft manufactures three primary lithium battery technologies (Li-SO2, Li-SOCl2, Li-MnO2) as well as rechargeable Li-ion, and has more than 30 years experience in developing lithium batteries for military customers.

Saft is the world’s leading manufacturer of nickel-cadmium batteries for industrial applications and of primary lithium batteries for a range of end markets. For more information, visit www.saftbatteries.com.