FG Wilson is a leading global supplier of diesel generator sets with a strong heritage of quality, support and value. From 6.8 to over 2,500 kVA, today FG Wilson offers a wide range of generator sets, all built in modern facilities. This interview focuses on FG Wilson’s new telecoms product, a new packaged generator product designed to meet the requirements at distributed cell sites, where the new telecoms product’s 1,000 hour service intervals and integrated remote communications can significantly reduce opex.
TowerXchange: Can you introduce your company and tell us about FG Wilson?
Michael Milligan, Account Manager, Global Accounts, FG Wilson:
FG Wilson is a world leader in the generator set industry. We were founded in 1966 in Belfast which means that this year, we are celebrating 50 years in business. Our first products were mini power stations, mostly for the Middle East, and we still market large custom generator sets, but in many parts of the world we are probably better known for self-contained small power units which are relatively simple to buy and operate and require a minimum of installation work. These are supported by a global network of around 300 dealers.
FG Wilson generator sets are trusted to provide emergency power in over 190 countries around the world. They provide essential standby power to critical applications such as hospitals, airports, data centres, telecommunication networks as well as residential properties and factories.
FG Wilson generator sets are manufactured at Caterpillar facilities in the United Kingdom, United States of America, Brazil, India and China.
Since 1998 FG Wilson has been owned by Caterpillar Inc, one of the leading US corporations and a Fortune 500 company. The brand now sits within Caterpillar’s Industrial Power Systems Division.
TowerXchange: Tell us about FG Wilson’s new telecoms product – what makes it special?
Michael Milligan, Account Manager, Global Accounts, FG Wilson:
First and foremost, this is a very customer-defined product. We spent a great deal of time simply talking with our customers and dealers and working through issues together to understand what was important. There was a real focus on product operating costs and this has led to a packaged generator product which is ideal for telecoms users, or indeed for any customer who operates at sites which are fairly remote. And the product is perfect for either hybrid or generator only applications.
To reduce operating costs, site visits for maintenance and fuel replenishment, the product offers 1,000 hours between service intervals, and comes with set-mounted fuel tanks of up to 2,000 litres. Being able to monitor the generator set from the telecom NOC maximises uptime and allows preparation for site visits minimising servicing costs and ensuring that site visits are effective.
The product options list includes a flexible range of enclosures offering three levels of sound attenuation to help ensure that it meets local noise regulations.
What makes this product special is that not only does it go further in offering much more value to customers with a specification strongly led by customers, but also we have been able to offer this for a significantly lower price.
TowerXchange: Tell us about the reliability of your solution?
Michael Milligan, Account Manager, Global Accounts, FG Wilson:
We know from past experience that rigorous upfront design, testing and validation lead to superior reliability throughout a product’s lifetime and that this can save customers a substantial amount of money over time.
We know from past experience that rigorous upfront design, testing and validation lead to superior reliability throughout a product’s lifetime and that this can save customers a substantial amount of money over time
We are a volume manufacturer and we take reliability extremely seriously. We have made multi-million dollar investments in our industry-leading Engineering Centre of Excellence where all our new products are given intense pre-launch testing which include vibration, engine/alternator cooling, electromagnetic compatibility, noise, water ingress and rating/transient performance. Our products operate in the toughest environments and are designed to perform exactly in the way our customers expect.
Manufacturing quality is extremely important to us and our facilities operate with rigorous production quality controls, utilising the Caterpillar Production System and standard work processes. Then, once products are installed, we work together with our distributors through our Partners In Quality programme which provides on site product performance feedback back to our product engineering team.
TowerXchange: Can you outline how FG Wilson integrates with hybrid providers?
Michael Milligan, Account Manager, Global Accounts, FG Wilson:
We have incorporated a great deal of product flexibility including control systems and remote communications to ensure that our generator set integrates seamlessly with any hybrid system. We are partnering with several established hybrid manufacturers to confirm compatibility and ensure efficient and fast deployment of our products on site.
TowerXchange: What warrantee and after sales support do you offer FG Wilson customers?
Michael Milligan, Account Manager, Global Accounts, FG Wilson:
FG Wilson has a global network of around 300 dealers who offer aftermarket and warranty support for the complete generator set package – a one stop shop. Dealers are fully trained on all aspects of the generator package and are supported by the FG Wilson central technical helpdesk, technical libraries, on line systems and an extensive parts distribution centre which ships three million parts a year and carries 11,500 product line parts.
Our dealers will be close at hand, fully equipped and trained, with quick access to parts in-territory to offer a fast and efficient service to solve any issues during initial visits, which minimises any product down time.
TowerXchange: Where have the generator sets been successfully installed?
Michael Milligan, Account Manager, Global Accounts, FG Wilson:
FG Wilson has installed over 600,000 generator sets since 1990 and we continue to develop new products based on tried and tested key components. In every continent there is a significant population of FG Wilson generator sets working at telecom sites, and there are many reference sites listed on our website. We’re now building on that population with this new customer-led product.
FG Wilson will be exhibiting at the 5th Annual TowerXchange Meetup Africa & Middle East, being held on 3-4 October at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg. Visit the website for more information
