Centrax acquires Turbomeca's R-R genset maintenance business

UK GT supplier Centrax has recently signed an agreement with French packager Turbomeca to take over maintenance of their Rolls-Royce 501 class generator set business.

Turbomeca have recently re-evaluated their direction and have decided to focus the industrial side of their business on their own engines, and so will no longer market the R-R 501.

Critical to Turbomeca was choosing a company which can continue to offer good support to their generator set customers. M. Didier Blauwart, services vp for Turbomeca, commented, 'Turbomeca selected Centrax because their exceptional knowledge of the 501 and their European infrastructure meant they could take over existing contracts and would be acceptable to our customers. Centrax is also a good choice in that it is industrially and financially stable'.

In anticipation of signing the agreement, Centrax and Turbomeca have been working together through the summer on maintenance work on the existing fleet.

Centrax’s mature customer support infrastructure and great experience in providing support to the Rolls-Royce package was a key factor in their selection. Centrax' quality of service was recognised last year with a Frost & Sullivan award for customer service leadership. It voted Centrax as the leading provider of customer service in Europe

•French company SNPE Bergerac NC is installing a new CX501-KB package, with a dry low emissions system, from Centrax. Elyo Midi-ocean, the French energy company, has ordered the 5.3 MWe indoor generator on behalf of SNPE Group to replace an existing Centrax package installed in 1996.

Using the filtration and ductwork from the original installation, the new package will be powered by the latest KB7 turbine, providing heat and increased power to the industrial site located in Bergerac in South West France. The factory is a world leader in the production of industrial nitrocellulose, a primary component of products such as paint and nail varnish, and heat output from the package will be used as an integral part of the manufacturing process.

Installation of the unit will enable Elyo to negotiate a 12-year supply contract with EDF.