It’s been one year since the new brand Accelleron (formerly ABB Turbocharging) launched on the market.
In the following exclusive interview in nafs magazine, Mr John Smyrneos, Managing Director Greece & Cyprus explains what was the reasoning behind this decision and how easily was the new name adopted by the customers, what are the advantages of the products and services that offers today, how does Accelleron contribute to the journey for a sustainable planet, what are Accelleron’s benefits and strong advantages in order for the shipowner to have real benefit and many more hot topics. The full text of the interview follows:
It’s been one year since the new brand Accelleron (formerly ABB Turbocharging) was launched on the market. What was the reasoning behind this decision and how easily was the new name adopted by your customers?
Both ABB and Accelleron, formerly ABB Turbocharging, are highly successful businesses in their own respective fields. This decision has allowed both to concentrate on their core strategies in their respective industries to drive further growth. For Accelleron, this
has given us the agility to take rapid decisions to make the most of opportunities as they arise in a fast-moving technological and service landscape. It’s a win-win.The name Accelleron is based on accelerating the future, accessing the community and excelling in every- thing our people do. We hold each of these aspects to be key to our development of the products and services that we provide to our customers to enable them to operate with optimized performance, greater efficiency and enhanced sustainability. Our customers have fully embraced this new identity but also recognize that we still carry a 100-year legacy of innovation and experience in the turbocharging sector – we invented turbocharging!
Any new brand needs time to gain its real position in the mar- ket. What are the advantages of the products and services that Accelleron offers today in the shipping market and how do you expect to strengthen your position in the next period?
I know that our industry recognizes that although we have a new brand identity, we are still the global leader in marine turbocharging products and servicing. We have over 100 service stations around
the world, offering rapid availability that none of our competitors can rival, and we promise service responses within 48 hours, anywhere on the planet.
Decarbonization and new regulations will have the most impact in the coming decade for the global maritime industry. How does Accelleron contributes to the journey for a sustainable planet?
Supporting the decarbonization journey of marine transportation and energy with products, services and digital solutions is, and will continue to be our key objective, and is at the heart of everything we do at Accelleron. We are very well prepared for accelerating the energy transition: Ships need engines that can perform better while lowering emissions.
Apart from the simple fact that our turbochargers enable internal combustion engines to operate at much higher fuel efficiency levels, thereby reducing emissions, Accelleron is also highly successful in turbocharging with transitional fuels such as natural gas which has a 30% lower CO2 emission versus diesel. Clear proof of this is that Accelleron turbochargers were specified on the vast majority (approx. 85%) of LNG carriers contracted in the year 2022
How much does your company invest in research and development of your products and services in order to help you increase your share in the market?
We will continue to focus on a strong innovation pipeline with approximately 7% of revenues dedicated to research & development. Our
test facilities in Baden, Switzerland, have been recently upgraded to provide enhanced testing using biodiesel and hydrogen in turbo- charging as well as continuing our research program in the develop- ment of fuel cells.
You say that “At Accelleron, we innovate turbocharging technologies that accelerate growth at sea, on land and beyond to help you succeed and move further”. Please explain how.
We are constantly searching for new solutions to improve sustain- ability, drive decarbonization and enable our customers to operate more efficiently and at lower cost. A good example of this was announced at CIMAC in South Korea in June – the launch of our next generation of turbochargers for low-speed marine engines, the X300-L series.
The X300-L series offers ship operators and owners much more flexibility both in terms of adapting to future fuels and also in service and overhaul schedules. These advantages stem from its platform-based compact design. A new turbocharger design means that the entire rotor subassembly can be exchanged in a single port call, using a new or refurbished cartridge.
The improved serviceability of the X300-L means that turbocharger overhaul is no longer tied to dry docking schedules. Instead of servicing turbochargers every five years, exchange at port means the full run time between overhauls can be used, resulting in just three scheduled services rather than four across a 25-year vessel lifespan. This reduces operating costs and provides operators with greater flexibility in their service regimes.
To what extent the companies you work with, have embraced your initiative so far, in order to remain under the new brand Accelleron without having to resort to other
manufacturers?
Our industry partners are very important to us, and we are committed to providing the best possible turbocharging technology and digital solutions to support them. Our turbochargers together with digital and our service capabilities amount to a service offering that is a comprehensive step change, if not an evolutionary leap.
We are working together on the development of the most efficient and reliable turbochargers, and our industry partners are a key part of that process. This is a journey that we are all taking together.
By using our digital solutions, our customers can gain access to the latest technology, while still utilizing the existing systems that are al- ready in place. Our turbochargers and services can be tailored to fit the specific needs of each customer, allowing them to experience the full benefit of our technology. This will ultimately result in increased efficiencies, cost savings, and improved customer experience.
Does Accelleron have any contribution towards the path of decarbonization? What actions have you taken and will you take in the future towards the direction of zero carbon?
At Accelleron, we are passionate about helping drive the transformation of the maritime industry towards a more sustainable future.
We believe that our advanced turbocharging solutions can help our customers meet their goals for a decarbonized future. We are actively engaged in research and development initiatives to help push the boundaries of engine and of turbocharging technology.
We are currently working on projects that allow customers benefit from optimized performance solutions that are affordable, reliable and easily upgradable. We’re developing a range of turbochargers that can meet the needs of a variety of applications. Our aim is to provide our customers with the right turbocharging solution to meet their specific needs. One thing will always remain the same and that’s the fact we want to be the turbocharger maker with the highest efficiency levels.
What are Accelleron’s benefits and strong advantages in order for the shipowner to have real benefit in terms of cost, vessel operations, fuel savings, lifecycle costs and emissions?
Accelleron’s turbocharger solutions are designed to reduce the carbon footprint of engines, while also helping to improve engine efficiency. Our turbocharger solutions are designed to significant-
ly reduce fuel consumption and emissions, while also providing increased power output. Our innovative design solutions enable our customers to achieve their sustainability objectives. We have a comprehensive range of turbocharger solutions to meet the needs of the IMO’s challenging targets. Our products are designed and manufactured for the most demanding applications, and have been tested and certified for compliance with the most stringent emission standards. Our range of turbocharger solutions are designed to be reliable, efficient and cost-effective.
Turbo SmartCare, suitable for marine applications and specifically medium-speed engines, is described as “a digitally enhanced and comprehensive service agreement” covering services and spare parts, including wear and tear as well as labor. Under the terms of the agreement, Accelleron also uses operational turbocharger data to further optimize the maintenance process, tailor it to the specific requirements of the installation and provide additional, actionable insights to the operator, such as early warnings in case of observed anomalies in the data received.
By contrast, Turbo AuxiliaryCare is a service agreement for marine auxiliary engines on a fixed price, paid-by-event basis, that covers labor, wear and tear, transport and any spare parts needed. In this case the service is undertaken by replacing the on-engine turbo- charger with an exchange unit supplied ahead of service activity starting, allowing customers to reduce downtime while minimizing investment. Exchange units can either be supplied from Accelleron’s pool of replacement turbochargers held at hubs around the world or the customer can opt to use one of its own exchange units. Accelleron has also continued to extend its turbocharger upgrade portfolio With the TPL67-C8X and TPL71-C8X being its latest up- grade solutions. Accelleron has been working to get its turbocharger upgrade portfolio ready for future fuels and related engine modifications, to boost decarbonization and foster sustainability.
Accelleron is continuing to review, modify and adapt its portfolio of repair and service offerings to meet evolving customer needs, with a particular focus on digitalization.
* Managing Director Greece & Cyprus, Accelleron