Turbocharger service station for Malta

ABB Turbocharging, a company that specialises in servicing and maintaining turbocharger equipment, yesterday launched a service station in Malta, representing an investment of €1.5 million.

ABB SpA, the Italian subsidiary of Swiss-based ABB, is one of the leading companies in power and automation technology, currently servicing and maintaining about 180,000 turbochargers worldwide.

The company's technicians were among the first to service some of the largest turbochargers on the market.

Jean Paul Azzopardi, head of the service station, explained that every 10,000 hours, a turbocharger requires servicing. The Malta service station is aimed at providing quick and effective support to the company's customers on the spot, wherever that may be.

The company, in fact, is equipped to send servicing teams and parts at a moment's notice, making it particularly attractive to oil rigs or large cargo vessels, for instance.

The new service station is planned to generate a revenue of €600,000 in the first year of operation (2008), and €1 million in the second.

The company is planning an additional investment next year to set up marine automation facilities.

Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said noted that the establishment of the service station here makes the most of Malta's strategic geographical location and skilled human resources.

The idea, he said, would hopefully stimulate private investment in the ship repair and ship building industries, adding that this falls in line with the government's policy of privatising Malta Shipyards.