Indonesia is one of the countries where Wärtsilä is experiencing major growth in power plant deliveries and servicing them. It is one of the key power generation companies in Indonesia, delivering nearly 1.5 gigawatts (GW) of energy to the national
grid. The state-run electricity company, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), is currently discussing projects that could notably increase Wärtsilä portfolio in the country.
“Our approach in Wärtsilä Services is to
guarantee top technical service for the customer, which means reliable operations and transparency. This is appreciated by our customers and the government, which wants to ensure that every Indonesian has access to electricity,” explains Henri van Boxtel,
Vice President of Wärtsilä Services for Middle East and Asia.
Success did not come easy, though. “Negotiations in Indonesia generally take longer than in some other countries,” says van Boxtel, “as you need to
convince the government that your solution is the most efficient and effective.”
Erwin Vanderkerff, Managing Director of Wärtsilä Indonesia, agrees. “Customer demands are becoming more stringent on
efficient operations and asset management, so Wärtsilä needs to show its strength on the value we create.”
The sheer vastness of the country, formed by more than 17,000 islands, makes implementation difficult. “Many
of new power plants are in remote areas, which represents logistical challenges, but managing them is one of Wärtsilä’s strengths.”
New plants increase the need for qualified personnel for operations and maintenance.
“For a country like Indonesia, one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia, our growth also generates lots of new jobs,” explains van Boxtel. “The new recruits of Wärtsilä and PLN need to get trained. In order
to support our customer needs, a training centre in Jakarta has also been established.”
In order to better serve PLN, Wärtsilä Indonesia opened a new state-of-the-art Wärtsilä Expertise Centre, in Jakarta. Inaugurated last November, it functions as a service hub to monitor the operations and performance of power plants,
remotely. “The centre connects, in real time, to the plants and collects data, which is analysed and used for our service advice to the customer and our dynamic maintenance plans for the plants. This accumulating knowledge naturally helps us
to further develop service solutions for our customers.”
The Wärtsilä Expertise Centre currently supports four plants throughout the country and it is planned to fulfil the needs of many newer installations. “The installed
base in Indonesia is so big that it is obvious that you need such a centre in Jakarta—also taking into account that many of our plants are in remote areas,” remarks van Boxtel.
The centre also supports two plants in East Timor.
The service provided by the Expertise Centre is essential to keep Wärtsilä’s prominent market position in Indonesia. It helps keep PLN, the only power supplier in the country, as a satisfied customer.
“In the
competitive market, we are in the lead. This can boost our customer’s confidence and can help in their future increasing needs as well,” adds Vanderkerff.
The Wärtsilä Expertise Centre offers clear benefits to the customer. “Peace of mind, quite simply,” says Vanderkerff. The real-time connection with the power plants guarantees top technical assistance, as Wärtsilä experts
can provide prompt support on predictive services, operational services and emergency services.
For the customer, that means reliable operations and transparency. “They have purchased our products with the latest technology, so having
the manufacturer monitor the performance of the power plants and give maintenance advisory is essential for the customer’s efficient operations,” he explains.
With Wärtsilä experts on the watch, the centre can identify
and solve specific issues before they result in an emergency. “We see temperature, pressure and flow in real time, so we can contact the power plant to prevent possible damage,” points out van Boxtel.
The data-based high-quality
support of the Wärtsilä Expertise Centre also helps customers optimise the lifecycle value of their installations, resulting in higher profits. “We can perform dynamic maintenance, because we can analyse the state of the equipment
and advice to postpone the overhaul or not to exchange certain parts yet,” says van Boxtel.
The new centre in Jakarta is part of Wärtsilä’s network of 10 Expertise Centres around the world. Apart from Indonesia, it
will support the monitoring of power plants in the region and globally, across time zones.
“We can control the power plants from Finland, from Dubai or from the Moon. It does not really matter where the centre is,” reminds van
Boxtel. “Technology allows us to offer better service to our customers, wherever they are.”
