Brecknell Willis

Source: Energy Digital

Date :18/02/2008 17:14:36

Having been in business since 1854, Brecknell Willis has over 100 years of experience in railway power supplies. Exec finds out more

Written by Rebecca Waters and produced by Alex Smith

Now based in Chard, Somerset, Henry Brecknell and Sons began trading in Bristol, starting off in hydraulic, design and manufacture, before moving into electric traction in 1894, providing overhead lines for the Bristol tramways. Ever since then it has been involved in overhead and third-rail construction.

Now, Brecknell has grown into a global business offering a wide range of capabilities covering the design, manufacture, supply, testing, installation and maintenance of a wide range of products for railway power including pantographs and third-rail current collectors, light rail overhead systems and industrial current collection and cabling handling systems.

“The market is very similar to what it was 100 years ago providing electric supplies from the fixed line substations to the moving train,” explains David Hartland, Chief Engineer - who has been with the company 24 years, having previously worked for Cooper Bussmann.

Energy Saving

Throughout its life, the company has been involved in energy saving but in recent years there has gradually been a change in emphasis, predominantly because of the expected price increases and the anticipated concentration on emissions.

“There was always an interest in reducing pollution in the Victorian era and that’s why electric trams were first introduced and it is really the same situation today. There is a lot more focus on CO2 specifically but nevertheless, especially in towns, pollution is a major concern,” says David Hartland.

In line with this sustainable approach, Brecknell has recently achieved BS EN ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management Systems in conjunction with the British Standards Institute. For its other certification, to BS9001 for Quality, it was one of the first companies in the UK to reach the standard.

“Now we have that standard. That involves monitoring and ensuring continuous improvement of performance in terms of what we use,” explains Hartland. These commodities include gas, electricity, water and incoming goods, and outgoings in terms of waste, scrap, non-recycled materials and pollutants – “all these are being measured and there’s a programme to reduce every one,” continues Hartland. “I think it’s sufficient to say we have achieved a very major reduction in all of these figures on an annual basis over the last three years.”

International marketplace

As a global business, Brecknell is continually expanding its international reach – with traditionally about 60-70 percent of the work going for export.

One of the company’s largest developing markets is China which it operates through its subsidiary, Brecknell Willis (Tianjin) Electrification Systems Ltd. With most of China’s new metros being electrified on third rail principles, Brecknell has a large demand for third rail out there.

The company also manufactures this material in mainland China. Because it’s so costly to ship material of any weight around the world, it’s cheaper for the company to manufacture in China for the local market.

Brecknell also has hopes to penetrate the other major global marketplace – America. One of the main aims is to get more business for its conductor work. As Hartland concedes this is a slow moving process - America being such a conservative market and a little slow to embrace the new designs– but there certainly has been a lot of work on pantographs over the years; manufactured by its subsidiary in South Carolina.

This international presence is strengthened by Brecknell’s affiliation in the privately-owned Fandstan Electric Group - consisting of Brecknell, Stemmann Technik GmbH (Germany), Austbreck Pty. Ltd (Australia) and TransTech of South Carolina Inc. (USA) - with offices in UK, Germany, Australia, USA, Netherlands, France, Poland and Taiwan.

As an independent organisation, this means that Brecknell can work freely with all different sorts of organisations without any difficulty or allegiances. “We have no ties with any of the larger companies so we’re not restricted,” explains Hartland.

International contracts

One of the main contracts at the moment, in addition to those in Dubai, Singapore, Taiwan and mainland China - is a little closer to home, with the group currently doing simulation work for the London Underground.

“The general trend on London Underground is to introduce more trains and trains with greater power on existing track and that leaves a choice as to how to achieve that. The choice can only be settled by complicated computer simulation.” As Hartland explains, you either spend a lot of money on new substations beside the line to upgrade the power supply and input more current into the line or you try and reduce the losses that are there on the existing line.

With impact of computer technology, all of this can be programmed. Mr Hartland explains, “Computer programming has become such that you can do these simulations in real time and also do the economic simulation which is the life cycle cost to achieve lower costs for the business in the long run.”

Moving forward

As with all businesses, Brecknell has turned to computer technology to improve processes. In design this has meant that everything is now drawn and designed on computer – having disposed of their last drawing board eight years ago. Hartland explains: “Everything is now laid out on the track using computer layout drawings and now for trainborne equipment, at least for pantographs and shoe gear, we’re designing everything in three dimensions on a computer.”

Undoubtedly this has made design work easier, more efficient and less time-consuming, with less wastage, “particularly on trainborne equipment you’re trying to fit quite a complicated piece into a bogie which in itself is quite a complicated shape. It’s much easier to do that in three dimensions and check that parts actually fit before you start to cut metal or parts.”

The company has also undergone changes to its manufacturing processes, embarking on a large scale programme of lean manufacturing throughout the site that has seen a big reduction in working progress and trainborne activity, as well as a reduction in stock levels. This, Hartland affirms, “has been a great way of bolstering the turnover increase that’s come.”

Moving forward, the company seeks to continue this progress. Brecknell’s forward thinking strategy Hartland explains “is to maintain our place as an internationally known, expert company for picking up current on the move.” This will of course involve winning a good proportion of contracts for new railways and contracts for refurbishment of existing equipment or existing systems. As he continues, “We’ve been going for 150 years and we’re intending to be here for another few years yet and there’s a lot of railway business out there to be seen in the next few years.”

Click here to read the corporate brochure on Brecknell Willis