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SUMMARY KEYWORDS

PowerGeneration, Industrial Talk, Propane Education, Safety Training, Innovative Technology, Data Centers, Alternators, PowerGen, Oil and Gas, Marine Markets, Digitalization, AI, Supply Chain, Market Demand, Reliability.

00:00

00:34

Welcome to the Industrial Talk podcast with Scott Mackenzie. Scott is a passionate industry professional dedicated to transferring cutting edge industry focused innovations and trends, while highlighting the men and women who keep the world moving. So, put on your hard hat, grab your work boots, and let's go. All

00:52

right, once again, welcome to Industrial Talk. Thank you very much for joining the number one industrial related podcast in the universe that celebrates industry professionals all around the world, you are bold, you are brave, you dare greatly, you innovate, you collaborate, you are solving problems each and every day. That's why we celebrate you. You're making the world a better place. You are the heroes in this story. Now we're broadcasting from Power Jet. It is in San Antonio, Texas, and it is a collection of problem solvers. It's an amazing event, and you get to walk around and look at all the mad tech and all the solutions, and it's a lot of fun, and you get to meet with two incredible people, and you're saying to yourself, Who are they? Of course, I'm looking at my notes, just FYI, looking at the notes, and I butchered it all, and if they didn't have somebody to help me with that, but I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna fire it out, Robert and Meghan, Meghan with an H, by the way.

01:43

Thanks for the clarification. Yeah,

01:45

just want to make sure Stanford, Stanford, right? Get it? Yep. Okay. Thank you. Let's get cracking. Yeah, we had a great conversation before this conversation that has started. I like it. You guys are gonna be great.

02:02

Thanks for having us.

02:03

I have, I have such high hopes for you guys. Hi, don't let me down. It's important that you don't stink. So, there you go. All right, yeah, yeah.

02:17

There's a reason we're spaced out. Yeah,

02:19

no, it's all good. All right, you guys having a good show. Why?

02:24

Well, we have

02:25

right off the bat. I broke the.. I broke. You did right off the bat. I just.. I just sort of.. yeah, you did well, Robert. I just toss it out there. Good luck. It's like a fighting session. Go ahead.

02:38

03:00

you've been to this show before, right, Robert?

03:02

This is.. I went to BC before Covid, but now, post-Covid, I've been here every year.

03:09

Okay. And you, too, Meghan?

03:11

No, it's my first year. Your

03:12

first years.. I was just gonna say, Robert, do you think.. do you think it has more people here? Do you think it's.. it's bigger? Yeah, the

03:18

show is probably bigger than last time, but I think it's still the same day. It's

03:23

really, don't you think? I mean, come on, this is PowerGeneration. It's, it's, it's like the hot topic. It's the, it's just everybody's talks about.

03:34

I say that the show is big from the point that people have big ideas. That's the biggest thing at the moment, that the latest data sent data center and demand generated by that one, people are coming up with different ideas, different things, and that's that's driving it.

03:50

Meghan, it's way above my pay grade.

03:53

I think it's actually really interesting, because there's so much conversation around the data center space, but we can't forget about the other markets that come into play with power check. Yes,

04:00

and that to me is the value of this show. Is there are other shows, if you want to go focus on Strictly Data Center, you can, but this show, it's about other applications as well, and other solutions that we can bring to the market. Yeah, see, interest. Oh,

04:12

we're gonna, we're gonna have a great conversation. Meghan, for the listeners out there, give us a little 411 on who you are.

04:18

04:44

you're a global company, we're a global

04:46

company. Yeah, yeah, we're a big deal, all the

04:49

way from Finland. Robert background,

04:52

05:05

Everybody knows about ABB. Yeah, are they roaming around,

05:12

jam? They are.

05:13

I haven't said I sent an email to one. I'm being ghosted. That's my, it's my trouble, all right. I'm going to start with the just a little background on Stanford. Meghan explained it just in general what you guys do.

05:35

Yeah, so we're an alternator supplier, so we supply..

05:38

see, didn't know that alternator, but everybody socket generation alternators. Good, go ahead.

05:44

Yeah, so we've been around for what, more than 100 years, based in the UK, but we've got our own operation here in the Americas, like I mentioned that me and my team run, so that's why we're all kind of got 20 of us in our booth over there, I think, to support the market here and meet with our customers. Impressive, and we really focus on that end to end support, so it's not only just selling you an alternator, but it's just, you know, helping you make sure you're bidding what you need, creating the solution with our engineering team. If you don't know what you need, we will help you figure it out. We've got aftermarket support, dealer network, I mean, we've, we're trying to make sure we're the whole package right for our customers, and, and for their customers,

06:22

Robert, help us understand everybody's stocking generator. Now you pop in, Meghan says alternator. No, what's what's the application? What's that use case for that? I don't, I need help.

06:35

What's the use case? So you need power.

06:39

I do need power? You need

06:41

power. There's nothing about that one. We are the things that make the world go round. That's the silent thing in the background. Nobody knows about.

06:49

See, I'm not the only one. All I know is about generators. Now, all of a sudden, you go, I have an alternator in my car.

06:55

You have an alternate in your car. You have an alternator in this building, several of them making sure that that we are safe, the operations keep on running, and then without the alternator, none of this would be possible.

07:06

I don't understand. Tell me, the what's what is it? Do I got the generator? I know what the generator, Mike. I have a utility background, I get the generation part, I get all those, I get it. Where does that alternator, where, where

07:21

the alternator is the unsung hero in this package, so that's the thing that singing, singing, okay, not with my voice, not with my voice, somebody singing, so let's take it from the top, please. The alternator is the one that actually converts that mechanical energy into electricity,

07:41

but how's that different than a generator?

07:43

That's generator would be nothing without coupling and prime mover and an alternator that makes it generate,

07:51

so there's a very, there's a very interesting distinction when you say generator, right on that, depending on that area you work in, you might be talking about the entire package, so the engine, the alternator in the enclosure with this transfer switch, right? Some people say that's the generator. Yeah, if you're an alternator manufacturer, the alternator itself is the generator, so you've got some some linguine. Yeah,

08:16

I don't feel stupid. I feel like I just don't understand. It's the same

08:20

thing that you, but they have a gas engine, they have a gas engine.

08:23

Yeah,

08:24

again, I'm going, I'm going, I'm going to pull on this, and I'm going to get it. So I'm a generator, right? There's a generator out there, there's a bunch of generators. Yes, and on that generator I have an alternator, and what does that alternator do for me

08:40

on that

08:42

generator package, right under the

08:43

package,

08:44

whatever that skid

08:46

on that generator package, that alternator converts the mechanical engine, the reciprocating engines upward movement through the concept, the rotational movement. That alternator is the one that converts it into electricity.

09:01

It's just an alternator, not an engine. Couldn't we just got there a little faster? No, I'm all in now. I got it because I was an idiot, because there are engines out there. They're big engines, and on those engines, there's a, there's a massive alternator.

09:20

Yep,

09:20

and then that engine spins a generator, but if it's not, if you don't have that alternator, you're in trouble. Let's wrap it up. I'm exhausted. All right, with all that said, these. the. let's talk size. How do you measure Meghan the size of an alternator? I get the generator, that's that's a meg, that's kilowatts, that's all. How do you do that

09:54

output? I'll divert to Robert, because he's more technically trained, but you. Measure it, an output.

10:01

No, no, I'm gonna ruin your day, Scott. It's the torque, it's the torque, it's the torque, really. That's that's what measures an alternator.

10:20

Give you a unit of measure on torque, half

10:22

a million newton meters.

10:24

Oh gosh,

10:26

you're gonna be sorry you asked.

10:28

So, alternator basically, the electricity is the same, engine produces horsepower or kilowatts.

10:35

Yes, okay, so

10:36

alternator produces an electricity, but unlike kilowatts,

10:42

yeah.

10:42

The alternators' energy comes with a voltage, okay. So that's where you have to make it sure that how many kilowatts, okay, w you get electrical power, and then you have to also look at it, whether that's 400 volt or whether that's 15,000 volt,

10:58

yeah.

10:58

And that's basically when I said, like, the torque, yeah, and others, they come to play along, so, so, so, with electricity, the voltage is the key.

11:07

Let's talk about the market. I got it. I'm all in, I'm dialed in, I'm buckled in, I'm riding this roller coaster, I'm in the market. Okay, we're you, you mentioned prior to this conversation, you got the data centers, I got it, everybody's like, yeah, got the data centers, it's a fact, it's a reality, it's going to continue to grow, but there's this whole other market that needs these solutions that just do, and I think I could be completely wrong. I think there's a renaissance, there's there's a desire to expand and scale and create greater demand for power. How does that, how's that impacting you? What are you doing as a company that manufactures alternators? How are you responding to that?

11:59

Yeah, so I mean, outside of the data center market, we're focused on oil and gas and marine markets as well, trying to come up with product solutions that are tailored for those spaces, and making sure that things like reliability, you know, don't falter. Quality is important to Stanford. We like our reputation where it's at, which is a good one, right? And I think, as far as you know, the things that we're creating, we want to make sure we keep lead times low. I mean, those are important for our customers as well, so it's not just cost, but it's reliability.

12:29

Yeah, yeah, to

12:30

12:48

you're going to be expanding because you get this demand, this market demand for, hey, I need more, I just need more. Yeah, and you're dealing with supply chains, you're dealing with all of this, and the components, is you know, Robert, is the is your organization vertically integrated? You're manufacturing the solutions, and you're just, you also provide the solution, the services, and all of that stuff. It's just like I can come to you and say, yeah, we're good.

13:15

14:09

you're, you're all in on the digitalization of these assets, these, these alternating assets, being able to pull that data off, make those tactical decisions, or whatever it might be. How an alternator has been around for a long time, right? I mean, it's a pretty proven technology. And how do you, how do you improve upon that?

14:35

Well, the alternate itself is like a, as a device, it's a mechanical simple thing, but, but whether it comes to the insulation, the amount of copper and electrical steel you need to get the same power that has been increasing every year, they have been squeezing more power out of the same raw materials, and that's what we keep on doing,

14:55

Meghan, if I'm pulling data off this asset, right, I'm. Because that's gonna, I can, I can plop a sensor, I can do whatever is necessary. Are you venturing into the world because it's going to be a tsunami of data, and all that data? Maybe it is, it's, it's okay, it's fine. But then there's always that, those other ones that are not fine. Are you dipping your toe into AI and being able to analyze this data, and then be able to say, hey, Company Acme, whatever, got this. This is what you need to do.

15:26

Yeah, I mean, AI is obviously an ever-evolving conversation, changes daily. I feel like just as things, as things develop, but yeah, AI can be a really great tool. And as we get into the pool of data, like you said, we've got to be really careful that we're intentional about the data we're looking at, because you can get overwhelmed with the amount of data, so my, you know, our intention would be, How do we make sure that the data we're collecting is valuable data for not only us but our customers? Yeah, what does it mean? What are those trigger points that, if you get a result, what, how do you interpret that data, sure that it's it's usable, and you can't just leverage AI and depend on AI to do it for you. It takes critical thinking to make useful information. Robert,

16:07

how are you guys being able to provide those, those parameters, those the the the algorithm insights on that data, or do you, you know, working with a third party, how do you

16:22

think the best, best, best part for us at the moment is that we actually provide the power so that the data can be analyzed by everybody else. Yeah, like, like our product is done for ABK alternators themselves. I think that every major AI data set the builder relies on our data alternators, so that they can keep their data to this up and running, so that's the, that's the, that's the biggest contribution, so that everybody else can utilize it when they, our, our products actually keep those, those operations up and running, and then that artificial intelligence, so to say, available.

16:58

Yeah, and I hate to dive into it, because it is the fact I have a, I have a workforce, I have a contracting workforce, I can't find right people, yeah, whatever it might be, whatever the problems might be, that is always going to be getting down to how do I leverage the tools that are available, and AI is always a part of that conversation, it just is, and who knows, are we still scratching the surface? Is it just sort of the tip of the iceberg? Whatever, but the reality is, is that as we continue to proceed forward and progress forward, I just think that that's a, you guys are adding to the data centers, you guys are making sure, hey, you guys are a part of the problem, you guys are gonna just jump in the dog on data into these data centers, and then you're providing the solution,

17:45

just the worst.

17:46

Meghan, where do you see it going? What, what's, what's sort of the future hat on? What's what are you, what are you guys chirping about out there? I

17:55

mean, I only see it going up from here. The demand is crazy, we're expanding capacity, all of our customers are expanding capacity. It's just kind of a crazy market right now. So, I would say for us, right, the key focus is maintaining our quality and reliability standards as we try to increase capacity. That's a tough one, and make sure that we keep our footprint and hopefully expand where the need arises, and, like I said, focusing in that oil and gas and marine markets, as well as obviously the data center space, but yeah,

18:23

yeah, I just see that there's a challenge, Roberts. I think I always, you know, put my financial cap on and thinking, well, that's a, that's a capital conversation, I need money, and you guys are falling into the category of I need to expand because the market's expanding, there's greater demand, and then I got to deal with the supply chain. See, it's way above my pay grade. That's why I'm on this side of the mic, and that's why you guys are there. Am I looking at the market, the challenges properly, Robert?

18:52

And well, I think the big question there is that they're like, what is the win? Like today, Satyanadella was thinking about on the data centers, that are they generating enough, enough benefits? Are they generating enough revenue? Is that sustainable? And I think that that's that's the question everybody sleeps. It lips, it's it's difficult to determine, but every day is bringing something new.

19:14

You know what would concern me, Meghan, is that all right? I'm scaling, I'm doing this. The demand is everybody's just rabbit out here, and everybody's just having a grand old time, and you do what you need to do in your business, and many of the other businesses are out here, they're scaling and doing everything that they need to do to respond to the marker. Then, where is that? Where's that top?

19:35

Where's the bubble

19:36

exactly? See, that's that's a better way. I was, I was, if

19:40

I had the answer to that, I'd be making so much money.

19:43

I think, from our side, is that like, we keep our head calm, we know where the situation is going on. There are the under, there are carrying forces behind this one. It's the overall electrification, the sustainability of our overall energy networks now. Being built, so that's that's that's the side which we are playing on at the moment, and making sure that we are good. I'm

20:06

so glad you guys are on that side. I mean, it's always, it's always a fascinating conversation, and all the challenges that take place out there, it's happening whether you like it or not. It requires smart people like you, Meghan. How do people get a hold of

20:20

you? Yeah, we've got a LinkedIn site for Stanford AVK. I'm on LinkedIn, Robert, you're on LinkedIn, find us there.

20:26

They were coached.

20:26

Thanks for having us.

20:27

Just FYI, they were coached. You guys are wonderful, man. That was a great conversation. Thank you. Look at now, now I now I can appreciate an alternator. Now I know what I

20:38

know, what a gen set is. That's right. Now,

20:40

let's see. Look at me. I'm smarter because of you guys. That was great. All right, we're gonna have all the contact information for Meghan and Robert out on Industrial Talks, so fear not. Reach out to them, they're gonna be great contacts. They're gonna, you're gonna be a better person because of them, because I'm a better person because of them. All right, we're gonna wrap it up on the other side. We're broadcasting from PowerGen here in San Antonio, Texas. So, stay tuned. We will be right back.

21:06

You're listening to the Industrial Talk Podcast Network.

21:17

Yeah, Meghan and Robert, right there, Stanford. They got, they got this whole connection with Cummings, too. It's all in there. The bottom line, that you need to put them, and you need to bring them in, and, and, and have a conversation with them, because they know they've got, they've got a lot going on, and it's PowerGen, and that's a great, great event, and it is a topic for time, as you can tell, Meghan and Robert just delivering on the insights that are impacting the power industry, it's amazing. Reach out, connect with them, all that information, contact information will be out on Industrial Talk, it's all there, do it, you need you need a network of these Sherpas, right there, Stanford, party Cummings. So it's all baked in, it's all good stuff. All right, you need to put that Power Gin on your calendar. You need to go out to Power gym.com I think it's Powergen.com but anyway, find it, you'll use, you can find it easily, and put it on there, because we're talking a lot of about the future, specifically around Power Generation, and how it's impacting us. We need more power, we just do. All right, one last point, we one want you to succeed. Industrial talk wants you to succeed. We asked this question, why aren't you telling your story? You need to tell your story to succeed. You need to tell your story. They need to put a face to your story, to your solution, and why you're cool. That's what industrial talk is all about. We want you to succeed, we market, we promote, we're PR, we're all around your success. You need to go out to Industrial Talk. You need at least, at a minimum, tell your story on the Industrial Talk podcast. Just go out to Industrial Talk, click connect, talk to me, and we'll definitely amplify your message, we'll get it out there, because you need it all right. Be bold, be brave, dare greatly hang out with Meghan and Robert, and you will be changing the world. Put PowerGen on your calendar for next year, you will not be disappointed. We're gonna have another great conversation shortly. So, as always, stay.