GENSETS 33
That means that for many businesses, the tried and tested generator set has a place. Ann says: “There are many ways to store or produce energy but when it comes to guaranteeing standby or emergency electrical power, in terms of cost, flexibility and responsiveness, there’s really no better option than a generator set.” The FG Wilson range of
generator sets goes from 6.8 – 2,500 kVA and since 1990, which is as far back as their IT systems can report, over 600,000 generator sets have been installed worldwide, of which 140,000 are in the Middle East. If you lined up every generator produced since 1990, you could power an entire country the size of the UK.
The FG Wilson approach is
simple. Ann says: “You could sum us up in 3 words: products, dealers and support.” Across the entire product
range, FG Wilson takes the same approach to product design and launch, whether the generator set is large or small. Nothing is released for sale until it’s been rigorously tested, validated and a full suite of parts is ready for customers. All of this goes on at an Engineering Centre in the UK, a $26 million invest- ment which is also home to Europe’s largest Anechoic Chamber for noise testing. “This is how we operate,” says Ann. “When we bring products to market, we know exactly how they will operate for our customers in real conditions and we know we can support them fully. That’s very important to us and we won’t compromise on it. Just as an example, recently many of our generators in the Caribbean were battered by two major hurricanes, and then went on to operate for
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four months all day until mains power was restored. It’s gladdened our hearts to get feedback and photos from customers who have relied on us and our products. When someone asks us why we do what we do, there’s the answer.” Supporting those products
is a network of dealers, painstakingly built up over decades. Ann says: “People starting in our industry often under-estimate how difficult it is to establish a distribution network. Yes, you can support customers locally yourself within a small radius of where you are, but once you go further, you need good local distribution partners.” FG Wilson’s distributors
carry inventory for immediate delivery, with larger dealers holding up to 600 units in stock. Some customers can walk in and drive away with a generator set, while for others it’s a major project. That means working with consultants on load require-
ments, finding the right generator set, designing the complete layout of the generator set including exhaust and fuel systems, installation & commissioning. For Ann, this is important. “With larger projects, it’s about managing complexity and risk so the choice of supplier is important. It’s about trust and we achieve that through the stringent testing and validation of our products, the competency of our engineering teams at our factory and dealers, and with the onsite support from our dealers.” Dealer support is backed
up by a parts operation stocking more than 11,500 parts products and delivering up to 3 million parts a year. So what about the future?
Ann says: “Demand for power is going to grow, everyone sees that. People will expect more stable power, zero tolerance of power outages. And I see a place for generator sets in that for the foreseeable
future: technology has made engines much more efficient and that will continue to happen for as long as we use them. On customer sites, generator sets will co-exist more with other renewable power generation technology as part of a balanced solution. We’re already seeing that: maybe the generator set is for critical power needs onsite while some electrical energy, perhaps derived from renewable sources, is stored for other applications.” From 6th – 8th March, the
FG Wilson team will be exhibiting at Middle East Electricity at the World Trade Centre in Dubai. For FG Wilson, this is one of the highlights of the year. Ann concludes: “There’s
nothing like this for us. It’s a wonderful place to showcase our products and connect with people. Many of our Middle East and African dealers join us so it becomes quite an event.”
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Worldwide Independent Power January - February 2018
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