ABB has recently launched a new range of ‘Operational Support’ services aimed at process operators who require access to just the sort of specialist expertise they cannot efficiently retain in house.
One company already benefiting from this service is National Grid, the organisation that owns, operates and develops the high-voltage electricity transmission network in England and Wales and Great Britain’s principal natural gas transportation system. Steve Reveley, LNG Support Team Leader of National Grid comments, “It is my view that it is important for companies such as ours to maintain skill levels. This is not always easy to achieve and so there is sometimes the need to call upon the broader industry to bridge these skill gaps. The current partnership with ABB is a good example of this.”
Paul Alton, Teesside Regional Manager of the Operational Support Service, said “I think what makes ABB Engineering Services special is the depth and breadth of skills and support we have available. We have functional and engineering expertise in areas such as fired equipment, piping, stressing, process, machines, civil, materials, vessels, control, electrical and pressurised equipment to name a few, all backed up by a range of consultancy offerings should they be required.”
Operational Support Services
ABB has successfully set up Operational Support contracts with a number of operators and initial feedback has been very encouraging. One such contract is used to support in-house expertise where there is a specific skills gap or the internal resource is stretched. The client has called upon ABB to supply functional engineering resource for a range of diverse activities including attending design reviews, performing vessel and control/electrical design appraisals, and performing third party reviews of some recent installation work.
In these circumstances it is important to have the correct resource and expertise offered under a suite of flexible arrangements to meet the client’s exact requirements. Paul Alton notes “all our clients’ requirements are individual to them so we have designed a number of flexible methods of engagement from one-off assignments through to full Professional Service Agreements.”