High voltage, high performance Trench

HIGH VOLTAGE,

HIGH PERFORMANCE

As part of the leading manufacturing group of high voltage electrical equipment worldwide, Trench Germany is dedicated to producing more advanced products in a smaller footprint. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to managing director Dominik Graefer to see how this is being achieved.

The worldwide operating Trench Group has been at the forefront of high voltage electrical equipment manufacturing for more than 60 years, producing instrument transformers, bushings and coil products. Part of the Siemens family, Trench Group consists of 12 plants in eight countries with more than 3000 employees worldwide, with locations in Austria, Brazil, China, India, Canada, Germany, Italy and France.

Trench Germany GmbH was formerly known as MWB Messwandler-Bau GmbH, which was established in 1947 and is located in the historic city of Bamberg in Bavaria. The company is able to harness the power of the global group to its own advantage and that of its customers. Managing director Dominik Graefer explained how: “As part of the Trench Group we have direct access to a number of brother companies, each with considerable benefits for us and our customers. There is a great deal of long-term expertise in the various aspects of manufacturing high voltage electrical equipment throughout the group

and we all work closely to guarantee that our collective know-how and experience are used to their best advantage. That can include supplier information as well as technical expertise, so it’s a really valuable connection, particularly as we are active all over the world with strong connections in local markets.”

Meeting global power needs

Primarily serving the utilities as well as manufacturers for gas insulated switchgear systems (GIS), Trench Germany manufactures high voltage electrical equipment with SF6 insulation to meet the needs of electric sector customers worldwide. Mr Graefer continued, “We are a truly global business. From Trench Germany we provide our products to customers in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Being in a position to share the sales and marketing functions of the group, with these policies decided at group level, the group-wide ‘close to the customer’ strategy works well as regional aspects are considered.”

The group-level decision-making process also extends to its geographical growth strategy. For Trench, staying ‘close to the customer’ means to share production facilities and capabilities, e.g. there is a decision made about which location is the most suitable for manufacturing certain products for certain markets, making sure that the most appropriate site manages the project.

Leading the way in SF6

For nearly 30 years, Trench Germany has been solely focused on producing high voltage equipment using SF6 technology. SF6 is the main insulation medium between high voltage and ground potential.

A stable quality can be guaranteed by the use of SF6 gas according to ANSI/ DIN and the fact that this inert gas shows no ageing

even under the highest electrical and thermal stresses. The insulation properties remain unchanged throughout its lifetime. Furthermore, SF6 is not flammable which makes an explosion-proof design more feasible compared to other insulation media normally used.

This is an advanced technology that harnesses the insulating properties of SF6 gas in transformers for encapsulated switchgears (GIS) and outdoor Instrument Transformers (AIS).

The company’s two main product lines are Gas insulated Instrument Transformers for encapsulated Switch Gear Systems (GIS) and Gas insulated Instrument Transformers for Outdoor use (AIS). For GIS current and voltage transformers, with combinations of both for AIS, are available. Obtainable from between 72.5 and 800 kV, the products are supplied to switchgear manufacturers and utilities around the world.

Mr Graefer said, “We offer the complete spectrum between 72.5 and 800 kV. Instrument transformers represent around 85 per cent of our turnover, with our extended product range including bushings and test equipment. We are keen to offer a complete solution for our customers as we know they appreciate being able to utilise Trench technology across their businesses.”

As a world technical leader in SF6-technology and its development, Trench Germany is always adapting to the new requirements of its customers, and of potential customers in the markets in which it is active. By continually improving its products and services, Trench intends and expects to maintain its market-leading position.

Mr Graefer continued, “Our history has been defined by continuous improvement; by ensuring our products and services are always moving forward, we are able to help our customers improve too. We invest a great deal of money in these ongoing developments , both in improving our work processes and in increasing productivity. Our long-term focus is to be able to produce more high quality, technically advanced products with a smaller process footprint. So by investing in making our production processes as effective, reliable and repeatable as possible, and our equipment as modern as possible, we can keep our costs competitive and our products unrivalled.”

Trench Germany is looking forward to a bright future. Its expectation of continued success is largely driven by the ongoing changes across the world’s electricity generation markets, particularly as a response to the nuclear reactor environmental disaster in Japan. Mr Graefer concluded, “The transformation of the energy industry is mainly looking at new methods of energy generation, with alternative energy sources in strong focus. Our products can play a key role in this process, so we are certainly positive about the coming years.” n