Wärtsilä, ABB Expand Engine Performance Partnership
ABB Turbocharging service in the engine room of a containership (Photo: Wärtsilä / ABB)
Wärtsilä and ABB have signed an agreement covering standard maintenance and performance optimization of ABB turbochargers installed with Wärtsilä four-stroke engines. (Photo: Wärtsilä / ABB)
Having signed an agreement to expand their cooperation in lifecycle service offerings, ABB has granted Wärtsilä the Authorized Service Provider status for standard maintenance of ABB turbochargers installed with Wärtsilä four-stroke engines.
The companies say customers will benefit from enhanced engine performance optimization over the lifecycle as a result. Furthermore, continuous development of turbocharger upgrade packages and future digital offerings will lead to improvements in fuel efficiency, uptime and operational costs, while increased depth and breadth of the maintenance offering will provide higher availability and agility.
The six-year service agreement, an evolution of the long-term cooperation in the field in force since 2005, covers standard maintenance and performance optimization of ABB turbochargers installed with Wärtsilä four-stroke engines. ABB has the largest turbocharger population in the Wärtsilä installed base with 27,000 ABB turbochargers on Wärtsilä four-stroke engines.
To ensure smooth processes and effective management of installation performance, Wärtsilä and ABB say they will share specific service data and maintenance documents. This also enables the inclusion of ABB turbochargers in the Wärtsilä Online Services offering. The Authorized Service Provider status for standard maintenance includes disassembly, exchange of parts, balancing and reassembly of ABB turbochargers installed with Wärtsilä four-stroke engines. For customers, this cooperation increases the options for servicing their ABB turbochargers, with a wider portfolio to enhance the performance of their products.
Wärtsilä calls the agreement an important step in its strategy to expand its analytic approach to lifecycle performance optimization to turbochargers. “Being able to look at the whole installation increases its availability and efficiency, optimizing service speed and agility. Customers can reduce their operational risk, ensure optimal tuning and save time by being able to overhaul their ABB turbocharger at the same time as the engine. Wärtsilä's aim is to expand its leadership as a global provider of quality services also to turbochargers. Thanks to this agreement, we are now able to serve our customers even better by offering them ABB turbocharger services coupled with our engine knowhow across 25 locations,” said Tomas Hakala, Vice President, four-stroke Engine Services at Wärtsilä Services.
Wärtsilä and ABB have started to offer upgrade packages targeting performance improvements with regard to fuel efficiency, uptime and operational expenses. As of today, more than 100 upgrade solutions on marine and power applications have been successfully commissioned.
“This agreement is a logical expansion of the cooperation established for new engine developments, where we jointly aim to push the boundaries of engine performance to new levels. With this new service agreement, ABB aims to foster our leading position in the field of advanced upgrade solutions during the lifecycle to improve performance of our customers in their businesses,” said Herbert Müller, Head of Service, ABB Turbocharging.
The agreement will result in 25 authorized Wärtsilä turbocharger workshops with an expanded service and maintenance offering. This is in addition to the 110 existing ABB Turbocharging Service Stations around the globe. Customers will benefit from this expansion of authorized resources available to keep their equipment up and running, and performing well.
