Aldercote hands over fleet of specialist machines to Irish energy company ESB
We are delighted to have supplied Irish company ESB with ten custom-made machines.
The electricity distribution network operator ordered ten Altec AT37s, custom-mounted to Volvo F250 chassis, and less than a year later they have been delivered.
Marc Paish, Aldercote director, said: “To take this project from a blank sheet of paper to a finished fleet within a year is a real demonstration of our capability. I couldn’t be prouder of our employees and suppliers.
“ESB has been an attentive and supportive customer and has helped at every stage with the teams’ attention to detail and understanding of the process. It’s been a particular pleasure to work with our partners in Ireland. Together we have demonstrated that efficient cross-border collaboration between the UK and Ireland is more than possible after Brexit.”
The Altec AT37 is an insulating access platform designed for work on electricity networks. The new fleet will be used by ESB to build and maintain the Irish electricity distribution network.
The subframe was designed from scratch, in partnership with ESB, to meet the company’s specification and choice of vehicle.
One of the many innovative aspects of the project involved galvanizing the subframes at Joseph Ash in Telford – the only facility in the UK able to treat such large structures.
Trial fitting, full assembly and mounting of the first subframe took place at the Hull site while the remaining subframes - fully equipped and functioning - were shipped to partner engineering firm, Mooretown Precision Engineering in Dublin, for mounting on ESB’s vehicles and final fit-out.
During the manufacture of the subframes, the Altec AT37 booms were manufactured in the USA and shipped directly to Ireland for final assembly. Full structural assembly took place in September, with CE type testing, final fit-out and commissioning following through the autumn and early winter. The whole process took less than 12 months.
Martin Convey, fleet asset manager at ESB, took delivery of the machines in Dublin earlier this year.
He said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Aldercote on the delivery of these ten Altec AT37s. From design work, to commissioning, we have felt fully informed and consulted at every step.
“The finished product is a credit to the teams at Aldercote, Mooretown and Altec, and we’ve every confidence that these machines are fit for 20 years of productive service, building and maintaining the electricity distribution network in Ireland.”
Noel Carey, managing director at Mooretown Precision Engineering, said: “This project has really demonstrated what we can do. We have developed our site significantly to handle the large subassemblies for this type of project, and our team has really risen to the new challenges we have faced.
“We’re looking forward to working with Aldercote on many more projects like this for customers in Ireland.”
