Managing a team to deliver the servicing schedule and breakdown cover of an entire fleet of turbines is no easy feat, yet Barry and his team of technicians have achieved 97-99% availability on callouts and have successfully delivered the Annual and Half-Year service on Vensys entire fleet of UK turbines since 2016.
We sat down with Barry to find out more about his work and how Boston Energy’s Managed Service offering supports Vensys operations across the UK, read the full interview below!👇
Please introduce yourself and your role, and how long you have worked at BE
My name is Barry Gillies I am married (21 years) with two kids. I am from Falkirk and have lived in this area my whole life. My weekends are spent with my family, we have a campervan and like traveling about as much as possible.
How has your career evolved in the time you have spent at Boston Energy?
I started my career with HMF in January 2015. Our main focus was crane inspections and crane repairs onshore and offshore but then most of the turbine manufacturers changed the way they had their inspection work completed.
Instead of having multiple inspection teams, checking individual items, they opted to have one company complete full turbine statutory inspections. I then joined Boston Energy when they acquired HMF in 2017 as they recognised the skill set the team had and they upskilled the team to be able to support with full turbine inspections. This work would always be completed in the summer months which enabled me to join the team that looked after the Vensys turbines in the winter months, ensuring consistent work all year round.
At first, I was just completing the statutory inspection work until I was asked to help with the service team. I fitted in with the team and I was put forward for the Vensys AT training in 2018. We went to Germany and spent a week in the Vensys factory with their training team. I enjoyed this greatly. I was very impressed with the Vensys team and the way they looked after us, these guys really are next level.
What does your current role at Boston Energy involve?
Having been an Authorised Technician for two years with Boston Energy, I was given the opportunity to take over the management of our Managed Service offering to Vensys in 2020. I now plan all the routine maintenance for the full Vensys fleet which are situated in Scotland, England, North & South Wales and Northern Ireland.
Could you tell us a bit more about your role in managing the Vensys UK fleet?
Each of the 19 turbines have a 6-month service and an annual service to plan in. I manage this and also deal with any reactive work when needed. This involves prioritising jobs and altering plans and teams at short notice. In the time we have worked with Vensys we have achieved minimal down periods and quick response time for these kinds of callouts, with the majority having been responded to within 24 hours.
The Vensys monitoring team will contact me if they have any issues we need to attend, and I will look after all aspects of the planning for these visits which involves dealing with land owners and updating turbine owners and management teams. We also manage stock control for all Vensys parts and service kits.
How does the work you complete help Vensys?
Vensys are growing at a fast rate just now, they have turbines across multiple countries in Europe and in the US. Having a team like us in place who are honest and hard working gives Vensys the confidence that their turbines are being looked after to the highest standards. We have daily contact with Vensys and we have made some good friends as well as colleagues whilst working on the project.
Where do you see the future of Onshore service at Boston Energy?
We have a strong relationship with Vensys and we work together as one team. They trust the decisions we make are in our joint best interests, we would like to use our expertise in this area to further support other OEM’s in the UK and further afield.
Find out more about Boston Energy’s Managed Service offering on our services page.
