Accelleron’s next chapter: Service, technology and confidence at sea

Sponsored Content: Three years out from its separation from ABB, Accelleron has taken a century of turbocharging expertise and reshaped it into a focused, independent organization built around service, technology, and customer outcomes. For the maritime market, that evolution matters, especially at a time when engine reliability, uptime, and efficiency are under more pressure than ever.

In this Q&A, Marine Log Editor-in-Chief Heather Ervin sits down with Roland Schwarz, president of Accelleron’s Service Division, to explore how the company’s identity has taken shape since independence. From a global service network and fixed-price maintenance agreements to turbocharger upgrades and data-driven digital tools, Schwarz outlines how Accelleron is positioning itself as a long-term partner for shipowners navigating tighter regulations, rising fuel costs, and increasingly complex engine systems.

Questions from Heather Ervin, Editor-in-Chief of Marine Log

Answers by Roland Schwarz, President of the Service Division, Accelleron

Marine Log Editor-in-Chief Heather Ervin (HE): Accelleron has now been independent from ABB for over three years. How has the company’s identity evolved during that transition, and what should the maritime market understand about who Accelleron is today?

Roland Schwarz, president of the Service Division, Accelleron (RS): Since spinning off from ABB in 2022, Accelleron has transformed from an ABB division into a lean, focused standalone company. It leveraged a century of turbocharging expertise but built its own independent operations and brand from scratch, becoming a globally recognized specialist in heavy-duty turbocharging, fuel injection, and digital solutions.

Today, Accelleron is positioned as a technology leader helping marine and energy customers go further with more power, efficiency, and reliability for their engines. Accelleron with more than 3,000 employees is not only the world’s leading turbocharger provider for large diesel and gas engines, but a broad-based technology partner – combining hardware, digital tech, and services. We partner with customers to improve their business outcomes.

The new brand launched 2022 projects an image of being approachable, expert, and forward-looking, with the name “Accelleron” evoking acceleration, access, and excellence.

HE: What are the key service priorities for Accelleron’s global turbocharging business, and how have customer needs shifted in recent years, particularly among operators looking to maximize engine reliability and uptime?

RS: Service is as much about people as about technology. Our more than 500 highly skilled service engineers are trained to be solutions-oriented. Operators today expect a partner who takes ownership of their problems and solves them proactively. They also expect that we will deliver the same high service quality everywhere. This aspect has become even more important with the globalization of fleets.

Given that 70% of Accelleron’s business comes from service activities, the top priority is keeping customers’ engines running reliably. We operate more than 100 service stations in over 50 countries, continually adjusting this network to where and when customers need support. Fast, local response for scheduled maintenance and unexpected repairs is paramount – customers can’t afford downtime, so Accelleron has built a global, 24/7 service footprint with a highly efficient global service center in Switzerland to minimize any engine outages.

To meet the growing demand for reliability and cost predictability, Accelleron offers Turbo MarineCare – a fixed-price, full-cover service agreement for two-stroke marine engine turbochargers. Now adopted by over 50 ship operators, Turbo MarineCare includes all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, backed by a continuous warranty and delivered by Accelleron experts. Enabled by data analysis through the customer portal, Turbo MarineCare ensures optimal turbocharger performance, reduces operational risk, and eliminates surprise costs.

Another shift is that fleet operators are increasingly focused on fuel efficiency and emissions reductions to reduce fuel costs and comply with environmental regulations. This changes what they need from service. Beyond keeping the engine running, they want help making it run optimally.

Furthermore, shipowners are increasingly turning to upgrades and retrofit solutions to improve the efficiency and emissions profile of their existing fleets. These solutions are commercially attractive due to their low investment requirements and high economic returns. Reduced fuel consumption improves profitability for shipowners, while lower emissions support regulatory compliance – always with financial benefits through reduced emissions charges or avoided penalties.

Since the divestment, what investments or developments has Accelleron made in turbocharger upgrades and modernization? Are there particular technologies or capabilities that reflect the company’s direction in this area?

Accelleron has heavily invested in R&D – about 6% of its annual revenues – to advance turbocharger technology since becoming independent. A standout development is the ACCX300-L series, a new generation of modular turbochargers unveiled after the spin-off. This platform represents a shift in design philosophy. It uses a compact, cartridge-based design that makes the turbocharger easier to service.

Importantly, the ACCX300-L is built to be future-fuel ready – it can be configured for today’s fuels (HFO, LNG) as well as upcoming carbon-neutral fuels like methanol and ammonia, by swapping certain components rather than replacing the whole unit. For shipowners, this means Accelleron is providing a clear upgrade path for the next decades – a turbocharger that can adapt as their operational requirements change.

Accelleron’s R&D since the spin-off has also delivered tangible improvements to its existing turbo lines. For example, engineering teams have focused on making turbochargers more compact and efficient. Traditionally, bigger turbochargers meant better efficiency; Accelleron challenged that with designs that maintain performance while reducing size.

Additionally, Accelleron has introduced design tweaks like optimized compressor aerodynamics and high-performance coatings on components, which can be retrofitted to older units to immediately boost pressure ratios and lower fuel consumption. Many of these are offered as upgrade kits to customers.

All these developments mean customers have more options to modernize their turbochargers incrementally – they can get modular upgrades (software or hardware) that extend the life and improve the performance of their equipment.

On the implementation side, Accelleron has significantly expanded its upgrade and retrofit offering. There are dedicated teams now scanning the installed base for opportunities to upgrade customers to the latest tech. We have a comprehensive upgrade portfolio, and we keep developing and extending it for the different turbocharger types and applications.

We are essentially productizing modernization, not just selling products. Combined with the cutting-edge products, it signals that since independence, Accelleron is aggressively driving turbocharger modernization both through R&D and through hands-on customer projects, ensuring our technology and capabilities stay ahead of the curve.

HE: Digitalization is reshaping vessel operations across the industry. How is Accelleron applying digital tools or data-driven services to turbocharger performance, maintenance planning, or fleet support?

RS: Accelleron uses digital tools to turn raw engine and turbo data into actionable maintenance plans, giving customers a new level of reliability and simplified fleet management.

We are moving from preventive to condition-based, and further, to predictive maintenance, giving customers clarity on real-time equipment health and ensuring maximum uptime.

Customers essentially outsource the health management of their turbochargers to Accelleron’s digital platform.

The benefit to operators is huge: they get predictable performance and costs, and peace of mind that Accelleron’s AI and analysts are watching over their assets. This data-driven service is often bundled in long-term service agreements like Turbo MarineCare.

HE: How else can Accelleron help improve the operational performance of entire fleets?

RS: After acquiring True North Marine (TNM) in 2024, Accelleron integrated TNM’s voyage optimization software with its own engine expertise. Accelleron now offers a digital solutions portfolio called LOREKA360°, a suite of commercial and technical tools that helps optimize vessel and engine performance. It brings together more than a decade of expertise in vessel, hull, voyage, and engine optimization, delivering a unified, powerful platform that immediately reduces fuel costs and emissions.

For instance, using Accelleron’s tools, a fleet manager can see how each ship’s turbochargers are performing relative to optimal, and identify which vessel might need engine attention or has an emerging issue.

The TNM acquisition expanded Accelleron’s digital offerings to include route and speed optimization recommendations that consider weather and sea conditions. This directly ties into turbocharger performance: by advising an optimal transit – say, adjusting speed to avoid harsh weather – the system can keep engine loads in the best range, extending turbocharger life and saving fuel.

Additionally, Accelleron’s digital services provide remote expert support. If a chief engineer encounters abnormal engine behavior, Accelleron’s team can analyze sensor data and past similar cases using AI on its database of service reports to suggest a fix quickly. This has been enabled by investments in AI and cloud connectivity on ships. So even when an engineer is alone at sea, they effectively have Accelleron’s collective expertise on call through digital channels. This greatly improves troubleshooting and speeds up resolution of issues, contributing to higher vessel uptime.

In the era of decarbonization, data-driven insight is also crucial for optimizing efficiency and meeting regulations.

Accelleron’s digital tools help fine-tune turbocharger and engine settings to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. For example, LOREKA360° Tekomar XPERT Engine can analyze combustion data and advise adjustments that improve fuel efficiency by a few percent.

Over a fleet, these small gains translate to significant savings – one case study showed a shipping company saved ~$540k in fuel and cut 4,200 tons of CO₂ in a year by following Tekomar XPERT Engine’s recommendations on 12 vessels.

The software also automatically calculates ships’ Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) and suggests how to maintain a good rating, for instance, by adjusting speed or engine load patterns.

All of this is delivered via user-friendly dashboards accessible to both ship and shore staff. In essence, Accelleron is applying digital tech not just to the turbochargers, but to the broader eco-system of vessel operations – combining engine performance data, weather data, and machine learning to help customers run their fleets more efficiently, safely, and sustainably.

HE: Looking ahead, what technical or operational challenges do you see shaping the future of turbocharger service, and how is Accelleron preparing to meet the needs of operators facing tighter emissions rules, higher fuel costs, and more complex engine systems?

RS: We are doubling down on helping customers extract every drop in efficiency.

As engine systems are becoming more complex – many new marine engines are dual-fuel, incorporate exhaust aftertreatment, have hybrid electric elements, etc., this complexity is compounded by a skills gap. Meaning there are fewer marine engineers with decades of experience. Thus, Accelleron is preparing by innovating for simplicity and support.

In addition to Turbo MarineCare, we also offer Turbo AuxiliaryCare and Turbo LifecycleCare for auxiliary engine turbochargers. Both have gained traction in the merchant marine market, where increasing equipment complexity and limited onboard expertise make outsourced service more attractive. These solutions provide tailored support and financial predictability, helping operators manage maintenance efficiently even during short port calls.

Also, the ACCX300-L turbocharger was explicitly developed with a service-friendly design (possibility of cartridge exchange in one port call) so that even though engines are more complex, maintaining the turbo doesn’t add further complication. By allowing a turbo’s core to be swapped out quickly, Accelleron ensures that compliance with new fuel setups or performance adjustments can be made almost on-the-fly – literally from one day to the next. This kind of forward-thinking design directly addresses the operational challenge of needing to adapt engines frequently for different conditions or fuel modes.

Collaboration is key to future challenges. By partnering with engine builders and shipping companies we cross-pollinate ideas. This openness to partnership and innovation helps us prepare for external challenges outside our immediate control like new regulations or fuel availability.

On the topic of the carbon-neutral fuel transition, we are also actively involved in industry discussions. Accelleron’s “Deadlock” reports explain how shipping’s fate is tied to the broader cross-sector energy transition.

We are focusing R&D on fuel-flexible turbochargers and fuel injection so that when shipping moves to more expensive carbon-neutral fuels, the technology is ready.

What ties Accelleron’s preparation together is a holistic view: the challenges of decarbonization, cost, and complexity are intertwined, so the company’s strategy addresses them concurrently.

We see stricter emissions rules, high fuel costs, and complex engines not as threats but as areas where we can add value for customers. Our preparations – from developing highly efficient, reliable and flexible turbos to offering digital “brainpower” on demand – are all geared toward one goal: ensuring operators can keep their engines running optimally, economically, and in compliance, no matter how demanding the environment becomes.

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