ABB and Wartsila extend cooperation on servicing, upgrades

ABB Turbocharging service in the engine room of a containership

AUGUST 24, 2017 — Wärtsilä and ABB have signed an agreement to expand their cooperation in lifecycle service offerings. ABB has granted Wärtsilä Authorized Service Provider status for standard maintenance of ABB turbochargers installed on Wärtsilä four-stroke engines.

Wärtsilä and ABB have signed a comprehensive, six-year service agreement covering standard maintenance and performance optimization of ABB turbochargers installed with Wärtsilä four-stroke engines. The new agreement is an evolution of the long-term cooperation in the field in force since 2005. 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 will share specific service data and maintenance documents. This also enables ABB turbochargers to be included 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 says the agreement is an important step in its strategy to expand its analytic approach to lifecycle performance optimizsation to turbochargers. “

Being able to look at the whole installation increases its availability and efficiency, optimizing service speed and agility,” says Tomas Hakala, Vice President, Four-stroke Engine Services at Wärtsilä Services. “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.”

Advanced upgrade solutions

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. With this agreement, both parties have reiterated their commitments to increasing efforts to develop and market upgrade and retrofit packages for Wärtsilä four-stroke engines.

“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,” says Herbert Müller, Head of Service, ABB Turbocharging. “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.”

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.