Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has reached an agreement with Weir Power & Industrial Division of the Weir Group PLC of the UK, a leading nuclear power plant maintenance service provider in the UK, to collaborate in the supply and maintenance of pumps for nuclear power plants (NPP). The two companies have signed the collaboration agreement yesterday. Under the initiative the two firms aim to boost effective development of their NPP pump-related businesses by combining their expertise - MHI, a comprehensive integrated NPP supplier, including pumps; and Weir, the leading provider of NPP pump after-sale services in the UK.
MHI will be responsible for pump design and manufacture, and Weir will take charge of sales support, project management, installation and after-sale services. The two companies will handle installations at newly constructing NPPs, which are expected to increase in the future. The collaboration work will be confined to the UK initially. However, this collaboration is positioned as the strategic move toward strengthening the supply chain in the European region as part of MHI's global supply system.
Weir Power & Industrial Division, headquartered in East Kilbride in Scotland, is a leading provider of power and industrial services, including pump and valve maintenance; it forms part of the Weir Group headquartered in Glasgow, Scotland. The Weir Group, founded in 1871, also operates businesses in minerals, oil and gas. Weir Power & Industrial provides various after-sale services to major electricity providers in the UK based on long-term contracts. Weir Power & Industrial had been looking for a new partner while MHI was seeking to accelerate its entry into the European market. The two companies' intentions thus meshed and resulted in the collaboration agreement signed yesterday at MHI's Takasago Machinery Works in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.
Going forward, through collaboration with Weir MHI looks to secure and maintain a better position in NPP pump business competition in the UK. At the same time the company will further strengthen its vigorous marketing activities for other NPP businesses in order to establish a solid position in the European NPP market, where demand is expected to expand robustly in the years ahead.