Robert Tatterson
GEP Cartagena, Spain
Process Technology Leader, Lexan Technology

"I've had several amazing days at GEP," says Bob Tatterson, "but without a doubt one of the best was the first day that we made polycarbonate in our new plant in Cartagena in early 1999."

That's Cartagena, Spain. Picture it: the GE Plastics plant surrounded by acres of orange and almond groves. A line of small mountains trails down the horizon into the Mediterranean.

"It was the culmination of an enormous effort on the part of hundreds of GEP people. Not to mention an investment of $600 million." There were orders waiting to be filled. People waiting to work. And Manufacturing anxious for the answer from Technology to set the final process conditions.

"The Manufacturing leader, the Site leader and a dozen other people drifted in and out of our laboratory as we performed the experiments that would set the catalyst level for the plant start-up. Too high or too low," cautions Bob, "would mean big trouble for everybody." With Bob leading the team, the experiments were finished quickly and the crucial recommendation made.

Two intense days later, the plant was producing pellets ready for customers.

The material Bob helps to produce is Lexan¨ polycarbonate resin - one of GEP's most important product lines. His customers make a wide range of products: from mobile phone & computer housings, to CD, DVD, CD-R optical products, to automotive glazing, to appliances - even water bottles.

You've heard the term "global marketplace"? Bob works directly with American, Dutch, Japanese and Spanish colleagues. He collaborates with Corporate R&D centers in New York and India. And as Lexan Process Technology Leader, he has the global responsibility to make "next generation" process technologies and improve the ones now in practice.

When you look at how GEP competes globally, "there's a lot to keep in mind. The sum total is that we're continuously re-inventing ourselves to keep our current customers happy, attract new customers, be a good environmental neighbor and reward our shareholders."

As for his current part of the globe, living and working in Spain has its advantages. "The rich region of southern Spain. The sunny weather. The cultural events, the food, the Mediterranean Sea. I love it." The perfect place for spare time - if there was much: "I have a two-year-old," explains Bob. "But we find time, with him in tow, to go out for a long lunch at the beach or one of the neighboring cities on the weekend. Plus, I enjoy photography and Europe is a great place for any photographer."

Two years ago, Bob was at GE Plastics in Massachusetts, "leading a team of engineers and chemists in developing new catalytic routes to one of our important monomers." And two years before arriving at GEP, Bob (a chemical engineering grad from Ohio State and UMichigan), was working as a Research & Development Chemical Engineer at GE's Corporate R&D Center in upstate New York. "I spent a lot of time with our customers - GE Lighting and GE Plastics - to deliver the technological innovations they needed."

Success at GE is easy for Bob to explain. "I'm focused on the job at hand, and along the way, I've been offered some great opportunities." But joining Corporate R&D in 1992 was a much more deliberate move. "I saw the technical opportunities CRD provided: it serves all the GE business. My belief was that, as a chemical engineer, I could really contribute."

In his seven years with GE, Bob's had the opportunity to dive deep into chemistry and engineering, to use highly advanced scientific tools like "EXAFS" and combinatorial chemistry techniques, and to see the direct business impact of his work on the bottom line. "I think GEP is unique, especially in the level of responsibility and resources you receive so quickly in your career."

"When I first joined GEP in 1995, I thought that it was this huge business and organization. I still think it's a huge business - in terms of dollars and pounds and global impact - but not such a big organization. We are flat and lean and so I know most of the functions well and many of the key people around the globe. It makes your work even more fun as you feel really part of the whole business, not an individual isolated within a single department."

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