Sulzer Services recently performed critical repairs on a completely failed 100-year-old 5MW turbine in West Java. The turbine repair served to both restore the renewable energy supply to the local community and wider grid and reduce expected downtime for the customer by seven months. The team of local experts drew on the support of Sulzer’s global network to implement the innovative repair that delivered a total cost savings of some CHF2.15 million in added uptime and saved replacement costs.

The historic 5MW turbine that could power some 1’500 homes per year suffered a major malfunction that led to an energy shortfall for the local community and wider grid. Given the urgent need to reinstate the power service, Sulzer’s local team of turbine specialists delivered industry-leading mechanical design and onsite support to restore and return the turbine to operation – in less than 50% of the expected time needed for new components to be delivered by the original manufacturers.

To ensure reduced downtime for the complex repair project, the Sulzer Services team sourced parts locally and customized them to measure using laser scans and reverse engineering techniques. Relying on advanced technologies, state-of-the-art equipment and a good measure of ingenuity, the turbine was reassembled and extensively tested before being redelivered in just five months.

Services Division President Tim Schulten said: “Downtime for any business means lower productivity, lost revenues and reputational damage, but in critical industries, it also represents enormous hardship for the communities they serve. I am incredibly proud of the team and what they achieved, and am delighted that we could be of service.”

Sulzer is a global leader in fluid engineering and chemical processing applications. We specialize in energy-efficient pumping, agitation, mixing, separation, purification, crystallization and polymerization technologies for fluids of all types. Our solutions enable carbon emission reductions, development of polymers from biological sources, recycling of plastic waste and textiles, and efficient power storage. Our customers benefit from our commitment to innovation, performance and quality through our responsive network of 160 world-class manufacturing facilities and service centers across the globe. Sulzer has been headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, since 1834. In 2022, our 12’900 employees delivered revenues of CHF 3.2 billion. Our shares are traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX: SUN). www.sulzer.com