WEIRBULLETIN | MARCH 2011


Keith Cochrane visits Weir BDK


CEO Keith Cochrane visited Weir BDK in India during December 2010 to meet with staff and review progress made to integrate the company since it joined Weir in September last year.


After a tree planting ceremony by Keith along with BDK Engineering’s founder, Bharat Khimji, Keith addressed the team, affirming his five year growth target for the business.


Weir BDK will be an integral part of Weir, becoming a centre for low cost manufacturing, new product development and engineering innovation for industrial valves.


During a tour of the facilities, Keith was


impressed by the progress made in the eight weeks following the acquisition and endorsed the continued fast-tracking of initiatives that will bring the facility up to Weir’s standard, embodying the philosophy of the Weir Production System. Improvements have been seen from the establishment of a ‘war room’ to manage orders - an initiative that has been successfully used in other Weir businesses in the past. The focus is to fully clear the overdue backlog that


existed at the time of the acquisition, by the end of March. Focus will then move to reducing lead times and to improving competitive positioning.


Since the acquisition, Weir’s existing safety valve business in Bangalore has been relocated to Hubli. Equipment, machinery and employees have been relocated with training programmes introduced for the BDK team in assembly, inspection and testing of safety valves. The new location of the safety valve business will bring about improvements in lead time and communication with customers. The relocation project was scheduled to complete by the end of February but the first valves from the Hubli facility were shipped in late January. While in India, Keith also visited the Weir


India plant in Bangalore and was delighted with the Weir Production System-led improvements carried out at the facility since May 2010 and he encouraged staff to continue with the good work.


Keith told staff that India is the fastest growing emerging markets economy and a strategic investment for Weir where synergies of a combined service


Wind power buy expands Weir’s renewable presence


The year closed with the purchase of a majority shareholding in wind power maintenance specialist, Ynfiniti Engineering Services SL, known as YES. Based in Madrid, Spain and with subsidiaries


in Portugal, Italy and the USA, YES provides operating and maintenance services to the growing installed base of wind turbines. Core customers include Gamesa, Suzlon, Vestas, Alstom and Iberdrola Renovables. Keith Cochrane, chief executive of Weir, commented: “Wind power continues to be a key focus for renewable energy investment worldwide. Our Power & Industrial Division is already seeing strengthening demand internationally for high quality maintenance and upgrade services for the increasing number of established wind farms. YES will greatly complement Weir’s offering to this fast developing renewable power aftermarket.”


at the opportunity this will offer our own employees.” Weir has acquired 76% of YES, the management team retaining the 24% balance, which Weir has an option to acquire within the next six years. Since the beginning of January, David


Arnold, General Manager – Renewables, has relocated from his base in Alloa to Madrid to lead the integration of YES into Weir, working alongside Ignacio.


Weir has been developing its wind power YES office in Madrid, Spain Ignacio Esteve, managing director of


YES, added: “Joining forces with Weir will transform our ability to offer on-the-ground services in new markets to leading turbine manufacturers. We are absolutely delighted


presence organically from its Alloa, Scotland service centre. In conjunction with YES, Weir is currently providing maintenance services to Alstom at ScottishPower’s Clachan Flats wind farm in Argyll, Scotland, while at the same time a number of exciting opportunities exist to significantly grow the business internationally over the medium term.


05


Tree planting in Hubli


throughout India must be fully utilised. “Providing solutions to customer problems is the key to achieving customer satisfaction,” he said.


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