Alba Power celebrates a decade of safety and integrity achievement

April 2010

It is ten years since Alba Power responded to customer demand and set up a new type of independent service provider in the gas turbine industry ? safe, flexible, reliable, and above all user-friendly.

Alba Power has produced a new customer brochure, ?The Power of Ten?, (click here to download a pdf copy) summarising the company?s achievements over the past ten years, and has also confirmed major new commitments to extending safety, environmental and quality accreditation.

Among the major company milestones achieved since 2000 are:

• 100 turbines overhauled in ten years with zero claims or warranties
• 500,000+ cumulative overhaul running hours with zero safety or integrity issues
• Over 140 gas turbine customers in 16 countries worldwide
• Building up the world?s largest stocks of Avon and Olympus spare parts and consumables (over three million product lines)
• Zero accident/incident frequency rate per 100,000 hours worked

Managing director Terry Alderton has also announced major extensions to Alba Power?s safety, environmental and quality accreditations.  ?We have recently added accreditation to ISO14001 to our existing ISO9001, B2 Achilles and ISN certifications, and our FPAL ?Verify? accreditation is imminent in April 2010,? he says.

?But we are also actively pursuing accreditation to ISO18001 ? all of which clearly demonstrate our total commitment to working to the highest industry standards of certification in both safety and integrity.?

?And since all Alba Power repair and overhaul operations also carry full warranty protection, we believe we have created a uniquely responsive gas turbine service facility that will go on delivering cost-effective, innovative, accredited solutions to keep the world?s turbine fleets fully operational.?

Terry Alderton also stresses the benefits in service flexibility afforded by independent specialist service providers like Alba Power.

?Here it?s only a short distance ? in every sense ? from the boardroom to the shop floor, and this enables us on a regular basis to identify areas for continuous improvement and ensure that they deliver early tangible results to our customers,? he says.

?Ten years on, we are justifiably proud of the quality of our safety performance, and by the commitment of all our people to achieving and maintaining the highest safety standards in every activity from in-house overhaul and testing through to on-site working with customers.?

Major workshop and facilities extension planned for 2009

March 2009

Following another record year of consistent growth in 2008, independent gas turbine specialist Alba Power has announced its intention to add a major, custom-built extension to its workshop and stores facility at Netherley, near Aberdeen.

The new 2,000 sq.m building will effectively double the existing works? capacity, and will house additional pristine strip and build bays, horizontal and vertical balance machines, comprehensive tooling, clean lines and inspection areas, as well as providing greatly extended storage areas.

?We have a large 14 acre (56,000 sq.m) site here at Netherley which was designed to accommodate future expansion, so we will be able to build and commission the new facilities adjacent to our existing workshops with no disruption in service,? said operations manager Neil McKenzie.

?This additional capacity will greatly enhance our throughput of overhauled gas turbines, as well as helping to house our three million stock lines of gas turbine spares and components more efficiently.?

The first-timers

January 2009

Alba Power?s gas turbine test facility has achieved the milestone of a 100% first-time pass rate on units tested (over 20 units) during 2008/9. 

?Despite the substantially increased throughput of engines in the last year, it is a real testament to the skill and dedication of our overhaul and maintenance teams that we have achieved such high first-time pass rates,? said Alba Power operations manager Neil McKenzie (pictured right).

Neil, a highly experienced gas turbine production manager with over 15 years? OEM experience, joined Alba Power in late 2007 as production manager before taking up his current post early in 2009.

Major acquisition of Rolls-Royce Avon gas turbines and spare parts

June 2008

Following a multi-million dollar acquisition, Scottish-based gas turbine specialist Alba Power has significantly enhanced its stocks of Rolls-Royce Avon 1534 and 1535 gas turbines, spare parts, components, consumables and service tooling.

The purchase was made from GE Energy (Norway) A.S., and saw the stocks shipped from GE Energy?s premises in Agotnes, near Bergen, to Alba Power?s custom-built gas turbine workshop facilities near Aberdeen, Scotland.

?This latest major investment in Avon gas turbines and spare parts underpins our commitment to provide long-term repair, maintenance and supply services to the international industrial market,? said Terry Alderton, managing director of Alba Power.

?As with all our stock-holding, all gas turbines, spare parts, consumables and components are supplied with full service history, traceability and certificate of conformity as appropriate.?

Even before this latest investment, Alba Power already held the world?s largest stock ? over one million line items ? of Rolls-Royce Avon and Olympus gas turbines and spare parts, market-ready for early exchange, lease or sale as required.

?We believe Alba Power is now uniquely well-placed to optimise the recycling and revitalisation of fully overhauled gas turbines and components,? says Terry Alderton.  ?In this way, we can offer turbine owners a sustainable long-term support and maintenance service which can greatly extend the working life of their turbine fleets.?

?Customer feedback confirms that Alba power is widely recognised as offering a world-class, friendly, cost-effective and highly responsive international gas turbine support service.?

Click here to view a pdf of this Alba Power news story

Record year in 2007 for Alba Power

Feb 2008

Alba Power, the independent Scottish-based gas turbine specialist, has reported a ?record year? for 2007, with significant growth in turnover underpinning major investment in Rolls-Royce Avon and Olympus turbines and turbine components.

?Turnover last year increased by over 35%, with major new contracts in Europe, the US and Africa coming on top of our already healthy North Sea offshore workload,? said Campbell Archibald, sales director with Alba Power.

?We are working on a number of major long-term power supplier contracts which confirm our growing ability to bring effective gas turbine solutions to the global market.?

In recent years, Alba Power has invested heavily in Avon and Olympus turbines and turbine components, building up the world?s largest stocks of spare parts, components and consumables.

This investment has now been extended into other areas of stockholding, and Alba Power now has RT48 and RT56, Curtiss Wright, and SK30 power turbines in stock.

For enquiries about any of Alba Power?s cost-effective alternatives to traditional gas turbine support services, contact [email protected], or call +44 (0)1569 730088.

Alba Power makes a stand at Gas Turbine Expo at Earl?s Court

Oct 2007

Alba Power, the independent Scottish-based gas turbine specialist, enjoyed a highly successful debut as an exhibitor at Gas Turbine O&M Expo 2007, held at Earl?s Court, London for two days 12-13 Sep 2007.

Manning the eye-catching stand were regional sales manager Grahame Martin and business development executive Melanie Alderton, who reported intense activity across the two days

?This is one of the major events in international gas turbine overhaul and maintenance, and this was reflected in a very cosmopolitan coverage of stand visitors from many different parts of the world,? reports Grahame.

In recent years, Alba Power has greatly extended its international coverage, and is currently servicing contracts in Europe, Africa and North America.

?Although our main workshop facilities are strategically based to service the North Sea offshore market, we have demonstrated that we can bring innovative, cost-effective gas turbine solutions to the global market,? said Campbell Archibald, sales director with Alba Power.

?We specialise in rapid-response services, and can draw on the world?s largest stocks of spare parts, components and consumables for Avon and Olympus gas turbines.?

For enquiries about any of Alba Power?s cost-effective alternatives to traditional gas turbine support services, contact [email protected], or call +44 (0)1569 730088.

Click here to download a pdf of Alba Power's latest news flyer.