Quartzelec, the company created in 2007 following a management buyout of the former Cegelec electrical engineering business, has opened a centre in Rugby, UK, capable of testing some of the world’s biggest machines.

The facility is a major part of a £2.5m investment, which includes new offices and the acquisition of two companies – a coil manufacturer called Clarich, and a specialist metal fabricator, TS Sheet Metals.

Quartzelec now employs 220 people in Rugby and a total of 575 across eight sites in the UK. It claims to be one of the UK’s largest independent electrical engineering businesses, delivering design, manufacturing, installation and maintenance services to customers worldwide.

The new test equipment, including four DC generators and an AC generator, is housed in a machine hall the size of two tennis courts. “We will test anything that rotates, from the largest motors and generators, through to gearboxes and drive shafts,” says Quartzelec’s design manager, Tony Croucher (shown above, in the the test centre`s control room).