Anglo Belgian Corporation

The Anglo Belgian Corporation (ABC) is a Belgian manufacturer of medium speed diesel engines, primarily for the marine market, as well as stationary and locomotive engines.

History[]

1912-1939[]

On 26 October 1912 the Anglo Belgian corporation was founded; the company was to manufacture the new semi-diesel engines. One of the investors was the Onghena company, a manufacturer of gas engines, which would contribute part of their factory space and machinery towards the production of the new machines. Eight investors including Onghena each contributed 500,000 Belgian francs towards the enterprise; a ninth investor the company Carels Brothers contributed diesel engine manufacturing licenses in exchange for a 5% return of the company's turnover.^[2]

The name of the new company was Anglo Belgian Company, the Anglo indicating that some of the investment capital was to come from Britain, however World War I intervened and no capital was to come from England, but the name was kept. Initial production included engines ranging from 6 to 40 horsepower.^[2] After the end of the First World War (during which the factory had been occupied and its machines taken to Germany) the company began normal production again.^[3] The company survived the Great Depression due to its customer base supplying engines for the relatively stable fishing and shipping industries. Later in the interwar period the company obtained a license from Paxman Ricardo for the production of 1500 rpm engines.^[4]

1939-1970[]

During the Second World War production continued at a reduced level; also during this period prototypes for a medium speed 4 stroke single acting engine were produced, codenamed DU (diesel universal).^[5] In the decades after the second world war the DU engine was developed and modified: 5-, 6- and 8-cylinder versions were produced, turbocharged versions (codenamed DUX) with 50% as much power as the equivalent non turbocharged version were made, as were naturally aspirated versions, including turbocharged and intercooled versions. The company was prosperous up to the 1970s, and its engines used in ships, locomotives (usually shunting type) and for electricity generation.^[6]

1970-1989 - Challenging times[]

During the 1970s the company's financial situation became unfavourable, exacerbated by the loss of one major market, the Belgian Congo had become independent in 1960 and could not afford new engines. In 1973 license for the manufacture of high-speed engines was obtained from SEMT Pielstick, additionally the company developed an entirely new engine codenamed DZC operating at 1000 rpm.^[6] By 1979 the company needed capital, negotiations with private investors failed and the company went bankrupt.^[6] The company restarted under new management and with new investors (the companies Pauwels, Batibo, and the Belgian Shipbuilding Corporation as well as with government investment) and was renamed Anglo Belgian Corporation. Problems with production versions of the DZC engine required further investment to fix and the shareholders lost confidence in the company, refusing an increase in capital. As a consequence they passed their shares to Ogepar and Luxembourg based holding company allowing a capital raise of 75,000,000 Belgian francs.^[7]

1990-2010 - Resetting the path for growth[]

The modified DZC engine was a success, as was its association with Ogepar. Despite the collapse of the Belgian shipbuilding industry new markets were found including overseas power plants. In 1997 design of a DZC engine in V formation was begun, and the power range of the DZC series extended to 5,000 hp (3,700 kW)^[8] The newly designed VDZC engine met all expectations, it contributed to the organic growth of the company. Since its launch, over 1200 engines have left our factory in Ghent, providing power for various applications. New opportunities came along as VDZC's product range allowed us to offer larger turnkey projects. The most prestigious and remarkable project in 2009 was in Congo - Brazzaville, an independent power plant operating with 10, 16VDZC engines, generating a total of 32MW.

2011-2019 Increasing R&D and innovations[]

In January 2011 a new General Manager was appointed, ir. Tim Berckmoes, who had been working since 1999 for the company as General Manager of Production and Engineering, took the position and will lead the company through the next decade. ABC invested in the design and manufacturing of a new engine extending the existing product range. ABC's engineering department, together with the Austrian engineering company AVL, worked intensively on this project. The start of a required new production and assembly facility was launched at the beginning of 2011. This brand new 5.000m² building is finished and operational since beginning of 2012. The facility has the most advanced tooling machines, equipment and test-benches available on the market as well as robots to perform some repeated tasks.

Since then ABC has been awarded numerous new projects for world class customers around the globe such as EDF in the nuclear emergency generators but also different Navies, dredging companies, mining companies, Port Authorities, Tugboat owners, Ferry companies, etc.

In 2019 ABC was awarded the Trends Gazelle Award for fastest growing export company in Belgium in its category.

In 2019, a joint venture between ABC and CMB was presented, which produce hydrogen internal combustion engines with a strength of between 0,8 and 2,8 MW.^[9] Besides producing dual-fuel engines, they are also working on a monofuel hydrogen engine, which will be ready by the second quarter of 2021.^[10]

2020 and later[]

After a COVID year were factory managed to stay open and produce every day, ABC used the time to speed up it's innovation plans and introduced the new EVOLVE range at the 2021 Europort show in Rotterdam. This

Products[]

As of 2019 the company produces 6- and 8-cylinder DL36 engines in power ranges from 3950 to 5200 kW, inline 6- and 8-cylinder DZ engines from 864 to 1768 kW, and 12- and 16-cylinder V engines (V-DZC) of rated power either 2650 kW or 3536 kW.^[11]

The engines are found in use on large river barges such as those found on the Rhine, coastal freighters, fishing boats, ferries, tugboats (which typically use 2 engines), and other ships. Other applications include electricity generation, and pumping engines, engines for cranes, and locomotives (including the Belgian Railways Class 77 and Voith Maxima), as well as dual fuel (gas/oil) DZD engines.^[12]

The DL and DV36 range are large bore (365mm) serie between 3900 and 10400 kW for larger ships and big powerplants.

The hydrogen internal combustion engines, made by BeHydro (see above) are used in the HydroTug.^[13]

The EL23 is the newest engine in the range, offering fuel flexibility to owners and operators who cannot anticipate which fuels will be readily available and economically relevant to their business activities and cannot choose what to invest in.

References[]

Further information[]

• Doug Woodyard (2009). Pounder's Marine Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines. Butterworth-Heinemann. Anglo Belgian Corporation, pp.715-6. ISBN 9780080943619.