A-Belco News Nov 2013

A-BELCO NEWS
Nov 2013
Product Updates / Awards / New Projects
Golf Day Raises £14,000 for Charity
The Group’s Annual Golf Day, held on Friday 20
September at Close House, Northumberland, raised over
£14,000 for the Alan Shearer Foundation, part of St
Cuthberts Care which provides facilities for children and
adults with profound disabilities.
24 teams of four golfers each assembled at Close House to
play the Lee Westwood Colt course, voted one of the top
100 courses in England. The teams, consisting of a diverse
mix of global distributors, customers and sports stars
including Alan Shearer, Rob Lee and Steve Harmison,
competed for the A-Belco Trophy, eventually won by Michael
Wanless, Tony Brown, Dave Lawson and Bryn Jones.
St. Cuthberts Care Centre are eternally grateful to the ABelco Group and all the golfers that took part in the fund
raising Golf Day.”
“All the monies raised will go towards helping improve the
facilities and services we provide at the centre and I am
personally delighted with all the support we are receiving
from businesses like A-Belco and many other supporters of
our charity work in the region.”
The evening entertainment included an auction which raised
£13,200 with a raffle bringing in an additional £1,200 for the
charity which was launched in May 2012 and aims to raise
at least £250,000 every year to help disabled people
throughout the North East
Accepting the donation on behalf of the charity, Alan Shearer
added, “Everybody at the Alan Shearer Foundation and the
MEP Approach Completion of Glasgow Southern General Hospital
The €740m Glasgow Southern General Hospital is the
largest project in which MEP’s range of bespoke M&E
modules have been specified.
Built on the site of the existing Southern General Hospital
in the south west of the city, the project will comprise a
new acute care hospital with 1,109 beds in single-room
accommodation, 256-bed children's hospital, 30 modern
operating theatres and a separate laboratory block
providing biochemistry, haematology and blood
transfusion services.
Plantroom Modules, 40 2D Modules a week and sending
sometimes up to 20 artic lorries to site. The deliverance of
the project has been enhanced by the hard work,
experience and bespoke module software of MEP
Solutions.”
Altogether, some 5,000+ modules have been delivered
to the M&E Contractor, Mercury Engineering, working on
behalf of the main contractor, Brookfield Multiplex.
MEP Operations Director, Ed Brisker, commented,
“Although the project was the largest we had ever done,
the team rose admirably to the challenge. We had stored
prior to start on site, some 500 modules ready for delivery,
and at our peak we were producing 60 3D modules, 15
Engineering Solutions
Design to Manufacture
A-Belco Group, Jubilee Industrial Estate, Ashington
Northumberland, NE63 8UG United Kingdom
group@a-belco.co.uk
T: +44 (0) 1670 813 275
F: +44 (0) 1670 851 141
www.a-belco.co.uk
New Marketing Manager
looking for both a marketing manager and additional help
with the American and Canadian markets, particularly for
our range of Hazardous Area electrical equipment and
lighting. Her professionalism and media experience,
together with her enthusiasm and vivacious approach to
work was hugely impressive and we had no hesitation in
offering her the position. Her experience was of invaluable
help at the Offshore Europe show where we exhibited our
products whilst her Canadian contacts in the oil and gas
industry are already proving extremely interesting.”
Kathy Mueller said, “The A-Belco Group are one of the most
exciting and dynamic companies in the region with the
potential to be truly world class in their various fields of
expertise. Their Hazardous Area lighting is already the brand
leader in the offshore oil and gas industry, whilst their other
divisions have equal potential. I was introduced to Brian by
a mutual friend in the marketing world and immediately
realised how much I wanted to be part of the company’s
future.”
Welcome to Kathy Mueller, our new Marketing and
Strategic Communications Manager.
The bi-lingual Canadian joins the Group from the Torontobased Sun News Network where she was a TV reporter and
news anchor, but left Calgary to join her partner, Chris, for a
new challenge in North East England.
A-Belco Group CEO, Brian Trench, commented, "We were
introduced to Kathy at just the right time when we were
“Offshore Europe was certainly a baptism of fire with some
50,000 visitors over the four days but fantastically interesting
and highly successful. We followed that with the A-Belco
Golf Day which raised some £14,000 for the Alan Shearer
Foundation and we’re already getting ready for our next
exhibition in Abu Dhabi so it’s a busy time for us all.”
“The Group has a fantastic future and this is a very exciting
time of expansion for us. I love the job and I love this part of
England so absolutely no regrets about coming here to
such a beautiful part of the country and working with such
a great team.”
Delivering Trackside Power
The Group’s Electrical Engineering Division has been
supplying trackside power to the rail sector since the
late 1990’s.
In 2010, their range of GRP sub distribution and DNO
(Distribution Network Operator) cubicles received the vital
Network Rail PADS approval, and the Division has never
looked back, growing turnover as rail infrastructure
investment increased over recent years. Iain Sneddon, ABelco Group Commercial Manager, commented, “It’s
been a busy year in which we have received PADS for the
DC points heating transformer range, invested in a new
transformer manufacturing line, a new LV test facility, and
increased our engineering
management resource.”
design
and
project
“The current market for our trackside cubicles, both
stainless steel and GRP, is, to a certain extent, determined
by political decisions as much as economic ones so that
we can only supply the products when they are required.”
“The current HS2 project is a classic example of
infrastructure investment which will eventually be decided
on political considerations, but we are ready to react to
the demands of the industry whether this be for signalling,
points heating or the many other functions which trackside
power performs.”
American Expansion
for Hadar Lighting
Hadar Lighting have opened their first overseas Sales and
Training Centre in Houston, Texas, operated by a new
American subsidiary, Hadar Lighting Americas.
The new operation is being led by Pablo Rivera, Director –
Americas, who will be responsible for growing both the North
American and South American business as the company
prepares to answer the world wide demand for their
innovative range of lighting for Hazardous Areas.
He commented, “Marketing and selling Hazardous Area
lighting to the Oil, Gas and Petro-Chemical sectors in
Houston, capital of the American Oil industry, has been
likened to selling coals to Newcastle but we truly have a
superior product range with our LED floodlights, in particular,
fast setting the standards globally.”
“The American market for oil and gas products, in particular,
is a notoriously hard one to open up for foreign companies
but we offer a superior product that meets or even surpasses
all the relevant standards. We have recently achieved North
America Class I and Division II certification which will allow us
to access the Petro Chemical sectors in addition to the
Offshore Oil & Gas markets.”
“Working with our existing American distributor network, we
are opening up these markets and the new Houston facility,
where we will not only hold stock but also use as a Training
Centre to demonstrate the advantages of the LED
technology, will enable us to actively grow this market. Sales
are currently up 500% in the USA from the last financial year
but, perhaps more importantly, our lights are now being
specified for future projects.”
“The success of the new lights on Australia’s Gorgon project,
has shown that, as a company we are not only big enough
to supply the large orders for these huge projects, but also
focused enough to provide customised solutions to lighting
challenges – the majority of the Gorgon floodlights, for
example, were fitted with a special filter that makes the light
invisible to the local sea turtle population.”
Brian Trench, CEO of the A-Belco Group, added, “It’s an
exciting time for the Hadar Lighting Division following our
success at the recent Offshore Europe exhibition. The
Houston facility will greatly boost sales to the Americas and
is the first such overseas operation we have in place to assist
our distributor network. Our lighting products are held in high
esteem globally and we’re proud to be playing our part in
raising the profile of British designed and British
manufactured goods worldwide.”
Offshore Rig Facts
HDL106 LED Floodlights light up the deck of this
Rowan Drilling Jackup, Sharajah.
There’s currently some some 738 offshore drilling rigs
of all types worldwide, of which 621 are presently
working – a utilization rate of 84.1%.
One year ago, these figures were 695 in total, of which
570 were working , creating a slightly lower utilization
rate of 82%.
Defined by rig type, the utilization rates are highest for
Semis at (90.4%) whilst only 80% of drill barges are
currently working.
By region, Brazil leads the field with an amazing
97.1% (68 out of 70) utilisation figure, followed by
West Africa (87.7% - 64 out of 73), Mexico (86% - 43
out of 50), North Sea (84.6% 77 out of 91),
Mediterranean (82.4% 14 out of 17), USA - Gulf of
Mexico (82.1% - 69 out of 84), SE Asia (81.1% 90 out
of 111) and finally Middle East (78.6% - 88 out of 112
total).
The average day rate is also interesting with deep
water drill ships (4000’+) commanding an average of
$485,000 a day followed by deep water semis on an
average of $436,000 a day. Shallow water jack-ups
currently command approximately $100,000 a day.
A-Belco on Linkedin
To see the latest news
about the Group, log
into our Linkedin page:-
http://www.linkedin.com/company/a-belco-group
Kathy Mueller, Marketing and Strategic Communications
Manager, commented, “Some people are already familiar
with social media sites such as Linkedin while it’s all new to
others, but the Group page we have set up is a great and
very easy way to see what’s happening within the Group.
The feedback we’ve had so far is really positive so I hope
everyone takes the opportunity to join the Group.”
NE Expertise Collaboration Produces Unique Vessel
Close collaboration with another Northumberland
engineering company has resulted in the production of
a unique marine vessel which is certified for work in the
most extreme Hazardous Areas.
We joined forces with Blyth-based Alnmaritec, the UK’s
premier commercial boat builder, for the production of a
line and hose handling boat which is to be installed on the
FPSO (Floating Production, Storage and Offloading)
vessel, N’GOMA, currently under construction at the
Keppel shipyard in Singapore, but due to be stationed off
the Angolan coast from 2014.
The twin diesel engine vessel, the 25th ‘Wave Handler’
class boat Alnmaritec has produced, has been designed
primarily for line and hose handling duties with a small
wheelhouse forward with folding seating for four
passengers and a bow access arrangement for personnel
transfers. The aft deck is fitted with a working platform at
the stern to facilitate hose/line handling with a hydraulic
capstan built into a plinth on the deck and a towing point
with a remotely operated quick release hook.
The boat is actually based on board the FPSO and
launched by davits. As such, all electrical fittings had to
ATEX certified for use Zone 1 Hazardous Areas – the
potentially explosive atmosphere on an FPSO requires the
most stringent standards of electrical safety.
Alnmaritec’s Operations Director, Andy Clark,
commented, “We’d designed and constructed such
vessels before but had always had problems with
suppliers of the electrical equipment which are so
important on projects like this. We were therefore
delighted to find the A-Belco Group virtually on our
doorstep and they have been incredibly helpful
throughout the whole design and production process.”
On board the boat, all electrical fittings are ATEX certified;
the battery charging sockets, the wiring assemblies and
the external LED lights which enable the boat to function
at night.
A-Belco Hazardous Area Sales Administrator, Janice
Taylor, added, “The boat contains not only items from our
Hazardous Area Products Division, but also light fittings
from the Hadar Lighting Division, including the very latest
LED floodlights. We’re delighted to have been of
assistance to Alnmaritec and look forward to being ‘good
neighbours’ on many such projects!”
Improved IP Rating for Easigo Range
The Industrial Connectors division has been busy
upgrading some of their oldest products, the Easigo
Range of plugs and sockets which were first produced by
A Reyrolle & Co (Hebburn) over 100 years ago in 1910.
Whilst the fundamental design of the Easigo range has
remained essentially unchanged since it set the criteria that
the original BS196–1930 was based upon, material and
functionality updates have constantly improved.
This latest improvement, which has increased the IP (Index
of Protection) rating from 44 to 65 for 15 amp products and
from 44 to 65/66 for 60 amp products will open up new
markets to the products and directly challenges alternative
IEC109 plastic products.
Iain Sneddon, A-Belco Group Commercial Manager, said,
“The improved IP rating, which is third party certified by
NEMKO, allows us to compete in new markets and is a
result of a 6 month investment programme that has seen
tooling modifications to
the zinc housings, new
gasket material, new
designs to the spring
flap covers and new
moulding tools. It’s
been a lot of work but
judging by customers’
initial reactions, it’s
certainly going to be
worth while.”
"The Easigo range of
plugs and sockets are simply superb products which seem
to be virtually indestructible! We've heard from several
contractors who have come across some of the original
plugs and sockets from the 1920's and were looking for
replacements. They were more than pleased to find they're
still being made here in Ashington."
Want to know more?
One of our team will be happy to help...
Call us on: +44 (0) 1670 813 275