GE released its 2015 annual report titled “Digital Industrial.” In his letter to shareowners, GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt discussed the importance of leading what he believes will drive the “next great wave of productivity.”

“We are a company that invests in broad industrial transitions, and they don’t come much bigger than the full application of data and analytics to machines and systems,” wrote Immelt. “In the next 15 years, trillions in wealth will be generated across the Industrial Internet. My commitment to you is that GE will be better positioned than any rival to create that value and earn those rewards.”

This year the annual report features memo excerpts from each of GE’s business CEOs on what becoming a digital industrial means for their industries. The full version of these memos will be released in the coming days on the annual report website.

The investment in software and analytics comes at a time where the company has rapidly simplified its portfolio. “We have done a better job of being our own activist,” wrote Immelt. “Few companies can match our record of bold change.”

On the current environment, Immelt noted, “Some say we are in an ‘industrial recession,’ but I don’t really know what that means. I learn more from what I see in individual markets and hear from customers. Growth is available, but you have to work at it.

“We don’t try to pick a cycle, or time a market, or complain about elections. We will always act to get more out of this economy than our peers. We believe in self-help.”

Distribution of printed annual reports and proxy statements will begin this week in preparation for GE’s annual shareowners meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 in Jacksonville, FL.