“Our priority has always been supporting OEMs”

"Our reputation is not only for fire safe, biodegradable transformer fluids, it’s one of partnership, collaboration and above all, technical competency among a peer-reviewed global community," shares Steve Jones, MIDEL Business Development Director, APAC.

How MIDEL’s business has scaled in past year
Past year has been one of global growth for MIDEL ester transformer fluids, with production facilities being set-up in South Africa and more importantly for your readers, in India. We have matched that with the expansion of our commercial team right across Asia-Pacific and an expanding regional network of partners and distributors.

Closer to home, our experience of the Indian market, not just over this past year but for the past ten years since we’ve been active here, is that challenging transformer applications require a different approach to one another. This means you can’t just have one fluid, so, we have a range of ester transformer fluids which are proven to meet a wide array of challenges.

This in turn demands a different approach than “just” being a materials supplier, so we go above and beyond that. Our reputation is not only for fire safe, biodegradable transformer fluids, it’s one of partnership, collaboration and above all, technical competency among a peer-reviewed global community.

Our growth validates us in taking such as approach, which is what we feel the global market is asking for at scale. Also, despite having its own nuances and unique challenges, India is no different in that respect.

Our success with MIDEL in India is something we had the opportunity to explain at length over the summer in our home city of Manchester, UK at the ‘India Roadshow’, a series of seminars organised by the UK Department for International Trade. In promoting to other potential investors in India how best to do business here was a worthwhile and interesting look back at how much MIDEL has grown.

Future Roadmap
It might not sound so glamorous, but it really is a case of “more of the same” for MIDEL, which will bring with it new adopters of ester technology, safer transformers and more reliable networks, which will particularly increase as more transformers move underground.

Our priority has always been supporting OEMs, utilities and commercial and industrial clients right across the country, educating them about the proven benefits of our technology. To that end, our collaborative approach to bring the best of our experience and competency to the market has not changed and, for obvious reasons, nor will it change.

There is still of course a portion of the market which still relies on the old-fashioned “L1” approach to procurement, and that really isn’t compatible with meeting the increased focus on safety and reliability which the market both expects and deserves.

More and more electrical engineers, reliability professionals and asset managers agree that the end-users still deferring to the old world of “L1” are being left behind by their peers. This is where the MIDEL team excels, matching superior technology with expertise that spans over 40 years.

Key Differentiators
Our industry does not change for the sake of it, which your readers will know. It wants proven, reliable technology and progress is, sometimes very correctly, slow to happen. As the first ester fluid in India, and in bringing a “new” technology to the local market back in 2009, we had to work very closely with various bodies to standardise the application of esters in power and distribution transformers. In doing so, we have helped to create the foundations on which our industry uses these technologies.

With that approach, MIDEL has become the ester fluids of choice for engineers who demand safer, greener and more reliable transformers. We haven’t gotten there overnight, but by listening to and supporting the engineering community.

The fruits of all that hard work are visible in a growing number of end users and utilities across India who are now specifying MIDEL for their transformers. In embracing our ester technology, they are reducing the risk of transformer fires, increasing the sustainability of the network and above all, improving safety.

I should also point out that this is true for large power transformers in space constrained urban substations, and for retrofilling distribution transformers in and around congested market areas.

MIDEL at ELECRAMA 2020
ELECRAMA is of course a very important event for the Indian market, which is why we are back again, showcasing the latest and greatest MIDEL installations. Our engagement and appeal are as strong as it’s ever been, all thanks to more end-users adopting our technology.

Our presence this year is a continuation of our commitment to the Indian market and, although we supply our full range of ester fluids, we also bring a lot of experience moving end users away from mineral oil and other hazardous dielectric technologies, such as mineral oil and those used in dry type and gas-insulated transformers. MIDEL has a wealth of expertise globally, spanning over 40 years and this experience runs right throughout our messaging for ELECRAMA.

I would urge anybody interested in improving the safety and reliability of their transformer fleet, or reducing its risk, to head over to the MIDEL stand. We will be happy to explain not only how our technology works, but how our expertise can support substation decision-making, and to demonstrate where we have successfully helped others deliver MIDEL projects around the world.


Leave a Reply