10 October 2016

Quartzelec, a leading UK independent electrical engineering group with an annual turnover in excess of £60m, has just completed as part of a wider corporate development initiative, a £100,000+ investment to upgrade the electrical test and maintenance capabilities within its Aberdeen workshop and these were officially opened on Thursday 06 October by Daniel Laval, Quartzelec’s Managing Director.

As part of the UK’s leading independent electrical engineering organisation, the Quartzelec Aberdeen business provides repair, rewind and refurbishment services to the established power generation, oil, gas and marine sectors. The Quartzelec group has continued to focus on expanding its Scottish customer base over recent years which has included moving into the flourishing new renewable energy generation and sustainable eco‑farming sectors in addition to continuing development of their relationship with established customers and markets with significant contract success seen.

“Despite these being challenging economic times, we have seen increased demand for our electric motor and generator expertise, particularly within the offshore marine and expanding renewable energy sectors,” stated Daniel Laval. “Delivering a first rate customer service is at the heart of our operations but having the right facilities and capabilities to meet demand is equally as vital. Our investment in Aberdeen means we now have the capability to full load test motors up to 300kW at 3.3kV, perfect for the fleet of North Sea machines currently in operation.”

The decision to extend capabilities at its Aberdeen facility has enabled larger electrical machines to now be tested locally. The facility upgrades undertaken include significantly increasing the size and load bearing strength of the embedded test plate and in parallel to the test facility up-rate, the safety systems and protocols have also been improved to protect staff, with the operation and control aspect sited outside of the testing compound.

Jamie Burns, General Manager for Quartzelec Aberdeen is delighted with the corporate investment and the additional scope of services this can offer the client. He added “in tandem with the investment in our facilities, we continue to invest in our people and we have an active training and apprenticeship programme running that ensures we have the skilled staff, with all the necessary experience and safety accreditation to meet future requirements. “

“We also focus on delivering preventative, scheduled maintenance as the cost of implementing an effective inspection and prevention programme for rotating electrical machines and associated systems can often be just a few hundred pounds; but a critical failure could result in significant damage, put lives at risk and result in both lost productivity and impact the long term reputation of the business.”

Whilst the rotating machines business continues to thrive in the challenging offshore environment, Quartzelec has also enjoyed success in other business areas, with the Electrical Contracting Operations securing a £1m+ order to revamp and extend the high and low voltage electrical systems and distribution networks at Aberdeen International Airport which is now nearing completion. This is part of BAA Scotland’s £20m redevelopment programme to increase the size and capacity of the terminal by over 50% to meet growing passenger numbers and cargo volumes passing through this important transport hub.

Quartzelec has an annual turnover in excess of £60m and a heritage that stretches back more than 80 years with the ability to design, manufacture, repair, refurbish and rewind large, project critical motors and generators, relying on its extensive library of design drawings and a full design department. It also has a rapidly expanding electrical contracting business and has the ability to work on any OEM-manufactured machine and/or equipment, including those built by its previous heritage companies such as GEC Machines, GEC Alsthom Large Machines, ALSTOM and Cegelec.