Westermo customers are increasingly seeking a combination of professional services and service level agreements to support hardware and software, as the need to achieve high reliability levels in their industries increases. We caught up with Westermo UK Managing Director Ian Poulett, who explains how a mix of customer challenges is driving demand for Westermo professional services.

Ian is joined by Roger Matthews - Technical Services Manager who recently joined Westermo UK.

Q: You’re the new managing director of Westermo UK but you’re not new to the company itself, is that correct?  

A: That’s right. I worked with Westermo from 2000 through 2008 but was hired away to head up a brand-new company in the OT sector. It was a fantastic experience, the leadership was incredibly focused on innovation, and we grew fast, regularly exceeding double digit growth. Our greatest achievement in the UK  was winning a turnkey contract with  National Grid that included quite a significant support wrap. We were providing an in-house Engineer along with a complex break fix package across their whole estate. 

Q: Was that when you first saw the need for professional services among critical infrastructure customers?

A: Yes, many of our customers were experiencing increasing technology challenges and they were struggling to manage and support the equipment we were installing. Typically, the equipment was used to support critical assets. In 2012 we were acquired by Siemens, and working as part of a large organisations was a huge learning experience. We had exposure to different markets – not just power, water utilities and rail, but also automotive, factories, food and beverage, pharma and heavy manufacturing. The need was the same, regardless of the vertical; our Customers were looking at how the complex networks could be supported.

Q: In 2023 you had the chance to return to Westermo. What excites you about the role?

A: I was excited about the direction the leadership is bringing the company; firstly there is a clear entrepreneurial spirt along with growth by acquisition such as Virtual Access, Eltec and Neratec. There is a real recognition of the customer demand for services – the challenges we first saw in the early 2000s are increasing, exacerbated by skills shortages and increasing technology complexity. When working for Westermo you always feel you are part of a family, a warm, welcoming and supportive company.

Q: What about the technology, and more specifically the Operational Telecommunications. 

A: I have always found OT applications and projects exciting, whilst the total opposite for IT systems. Westermo is highly specialised in OT. Every customer has a different application, a different need and a different approach to deliver a project. Therefore, every day is different with unique and exciting challenges. 

Q: How are the technology challenges you are seeing today affecting customers?

A: Across the board, technologies are becoming more digital but our customers have a massive installed base of legacy protocols. They cannot afford to digitise their connectivity as well as replacing all of their legacy systems. Westermo’s specialty is putting in digital, smart connectivity solutions that are resilient, reliable, and redundant and offer secure connections to their legacy systems. 

That suits our customers, because they all want more and information from their infrastructure. Water companies, for example, have thousands of outstations that pump, store, treat and then manage the distribution of treated or waste water. Current and pending changes in legislation are driving much closer monitoring of all those systems and the related effluent. We can help water companies communicate with all of their legacy systems, grab that information, and pass it over a modern, digital, resilient system back to headquarters. With power utilities, there are similar challenges, as the drive towards smarter grid management still requires resilient and secure connections to legacy control systems.

We never forget that resilience element; industrial data communications must be able to operate in harsh environments and have genuinely seamless failover. That means you’re notified when the primary links are down, but you also have that reassurance that your backup has activated and is functioning

Q: What are the professional services that Westermo is offering?

A: We will continue to provide technical support by phone and email. We have expanded our range of accredited training courses and have extended our professional services offer with wireless site surveys. More recently, we have introduced Service Level Agreements to wrap around all Westermo equipment. We can provide a minimum guaranteed time to answer support calls, automated firmware updates and patching, on-site visits, training packages, and third line support, which is unique in the market. That means our customers actually have access to our hardware and software developers who can take our customers’ real-world needs into account. 

Q: As you look ahead, what’s the big challenge you see, both for your customers and for Westermo?

A: To be honest, the speed of technological advancement is something that we all find challenging, but because Westermo has worked for decades with our customers in critical industries, we really understand their world. This means we can help them with deploying and managing newer technology solutions that answer their most pressing challenges. We’re seeing all the signs that our customers feel the same way -- not just with our general customer engagement but with how customers keep coming back to Westermo for world-class service.