Can you tell us a bit about the company and its history?
W H Good is very proud of its long association with ABB and of being appointed the very first Alliance Partner back in 2001 – yet the roots of the company go back 100 years to 1922, with humble beginnings in a high street shop in Haslingden, Lancashire. Focussing on electrical installation, the company soon found itself carrying out large scale projects for hotels and airport sites.
The adaptable team at W H Good continued their expansion into working on HVAC installations, construction and management services, and renewable technology while the 1980s saw a move into automation and the eventual forming of W H Good Automation.
What services do you offer customers?
The company’s success over the years has been based on providing in depth technical knowledge to customers from a wide range of industries, combined with excellent product support on site or over the phone.
Among the services that W H Good Automation provide are instrumentation assessment, instrument configuration and documentation services, technical support, product training, site service and full system design. The company also offer full process control systems, motor control centres and control panels, and are suppliers of ATEX hazardous area equipment.
This technical capability was a major factor in ABB appointing W H Good as its Instrumentation Alliance Partner, and we are still the only ABB Value Partner trained and approved for products and services in all categories.
What advantages does being an ABB Value provider bring to you?
Being an ABB Value Provider means we are specialists in the ABB instrumentation product range, with all the necessary training. This is a big advantage to our customers, as they know that when they call with technical queries or need to know which product to use with specific applications, we have the knowledge to help them. In this sense, we are more than simple vendors of kit, we are trusted application partners that can help them get the best solution.
When launching as an AVP, we were asked which products we wanted to be a partner for, since each product category carries certified training obligations to be able to fully support it. We decided that we wanted to be able to support the full range of ABB’s instrumentation products, and committed to full training across the entire range of ABB. Some products see much more demand than others, but when a customer decides a product is right for them, we are ready to advise them on its installation, application and maintenance.
In addition to being the only AVP able to offer the full range of products, W H Good Automation was also the first company to be accepted as a partner in ABB’s industrial digital transformation programme that aims to provide tailored digital solutions to customers. We were also the quickest to complete training and pass certification, a testament to the excellent skills and long experience of our staff.
What sectors do you serve?
A benefit of the partnership for W H Good Automation is the referrals we get from ABB, who have appointed us as sole distributors of ABB products within our area. This has led to us carrying out a lot of contracts for companies in sectors including aerospace and heat treatments for large and well-known engineering specialists, food & beverage for brewers to cheesemakers, pulp and paper for large multi-nationals, chemical and pharmaceutical, water and power utilities and many more.
What challenges do your customers face and how do you help solve them?
Different industries invest in a variety of seasonal or annual cycles. One year we might be busy helping customers in aerospace, glass or pulp & paper, while the next we might have a lot of projects in chemicals, pharmaceutical or food & beverage.
What all these varied customers have in common is that they want advice and support from an expert who has seen their problem before or can apply learning from one industry to another. Customers don’t necessarily have an in-house engineering team and may not have internal support. That’s where we bring our expertise to bear, finding the best solution to a particular application.
Whether it’s SIL levels, ATEX compliance or the need to comply with the FDA’s 21CFR requirements for data recording, W H Good Automation can help. For example, for the latter, we can supply a complete solution of data recorders with IP rated enclosure, including power supplies all installed in the plant.
Working closely with ABB, we pride ourselves on being a full-service consultancy – taking away our customers’ headaches is our route to success.