Leeds-based drives specialist tops two million

An ABB Automation Tech (Drives and Motors) product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 20, 2008

Halcyon's 2007 turnover for drives was 80% higher than the previous year.

Halcyon Drives in Leeds has become the first ABB Drives Alliance partner in the UK to procure more than GBP 2 million worth of drives in a year.

The company's 2007 turnover for drives was 80% higher than the previous year.

"The turnover figure rivals what some drive manufacturers achieve in the entire UK market in a year".

"It is a huge accomplishment for a regional distributor", says Steve Hughes, drives channel manager for ABB.

Sales Manager Neil Waite says "While a strong factor of this achievement was based on business into the Water Authorities we did see significant increase of business in other target markets such as chemical, oil and gas, food and beverage and paper".

"Like the other partners in the ABB Drives Alliance, we have invested a lot of effort over many years to convince industry to improve its processes and save energy with drives".

"During last year all our efforts in these areas have paid off", says Martin Rhodes, Marketing Director at Halcyon Drives.

"Using ABB's six-step energy saving plan, we can help provide a structured way to save large amounts of energy across a plant, while our DrivesAdvantage programme provides peace of mind through a full range of lifetime services for drives".

"There is a lot of investment going into the water sector at the moment and co-operating with our partners in ABB Drives Alliance, we can provide service on a nationwide basis for water companies with multiple sites together with our other target areas".

"All these factors combined helped us become the preferred supplier to local blue chip companies in 2007".

Halcyon Drives stock units from 0.18 to 400kW and can supply, install and support the whole range of ABB low voltage drives.

"We supply drive products that help meet customers' requirements exactly".

"For instance, the adaptive programming available with ABB industrial drives enables us to design functions that you would previously have needed a PLC to realise", Rhodes says.

"The ABB Drives Alliance is the envy of the drives market", Rhodes continues.

"We are nine specialist drive companies that work together to cover the UK and draw on each other's stock".

"With our fellow partners we service customers country-wide 24 hours a day, 365 days per year".

"Customers have confidence in a company when they see it is endorsed by ABB and part of a large network; this gives credibility".

"The distributor network is becoming integral part to ABB".

"The local presence and expertise provided through the ABB Drives Alliance gives us a huge advantage and is helping us to further increase our leading market share, which we currently estimate to be 25% in the UK", says Steve Ruddell, General Manager, Drives and Motors, ABB.

Leeds-based Halcyon Drives covers an area of northern England that includes Yorkshire, Manchester and Bolton.