IRON MOUNTAIN – Equipment designed and manufactured locally by Systems Control of Iron Mountain is now helping keep the lights on for people living in Libya and Columbia, South America.

A division of Northern Star Industries Inc., System Control has entered the international market in a substantial way – by sending four skids to Libya and one skid to Columbia.

The skids are part of a mobile back-up power plant and can be installed and operational at the final destination in a matter of weeks rather than the usual 6-9 months.

According to Al Bloniarz, executive vice president of Systems Control, General Electric utilizes its TM2500 engines as the main turbine generator package – capable of generating up to 30 megawatts of power.

Systems Control is working in partnership with General Electric to design and manufacture the 8-foot-by-40-foot skids, which are referred to as BOP – or Balance of Plant – protection and control. Each skid weighs 32,000 pounds.

The skids are designed and manufactured at Systems Control, loaded on a semi truck at the Iron Mountain facility and transported to another location, and finally put on an air cargo transport plane to be flown to the overseas destination.

The demand for these skids has come during a time when utility companies have been looking for smaller, more flexible ways to supply electricity rather than building big power plants. These large power plants can take years to build and even longer to pay off.

In Libya, with the help of Systems Control, General Electricity Company of Libya (GECOL) installed the mobile backup power plants from GE in a matter of weeks.

GE estimates that distributed power will grow 40 percent faster than global electricity in the next six years. This type of application is being used in regions that are starting to grow, but can also be used when there is a need for power after disasters.

GE provided the four mobile gas turbines with 104 megawatts of backup power to GECOL to meet the electricity demand during the hot summer months in both Libya and Columbia. They can be used for the power demands that peak during the summer as well as to supply emergency power.

The projects involving the mobile turbines from GE can be drafted and implemented in about two months. But in Libya, where the skids from Systems Control were sent, the time was cut to 45 days.

Systems Control has been in business for more than 50 years and along with Boss Snowplow, is owned by Northern Star Industries. Dave Brule Sr. is the president and chief executive officer/owner of Northern Star Industries.

Systems Control designs and manufactures integrated solutions for the electricity utility, oil, gas and telecom markets primarily serving customers across North America. With this recent work with GE, Systems Control is now “helping keep the lights on” across the world.

Along with the move into the international market, Systems Control has been adding to its workforce during the past five years. The total employment now is at 409. In 2010, the company hired 38 employees, another 84 in 2011, 84 employees in 2012, and 62 employees in 2013.

“Northern Star Industries will continue adding employees in 2014 as market conditions unfold and present themselves,” company officials said.

Systems Control’s current headcount of 409 employees is a part of Northern Star Industries, which now includes a workforce of 705. There are 278 employees with Boss Snowplow and another 18 employees at Northern Star Industries.

As a substantial employer in the area, Northern Star Industries and its divisions play a large part in Dickinson County continuing to have some of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.P.

Most recently, Dickinson County has experienced the lowest jobless rates in the U.P. for both March and April thanks to employment increases that have been ongoing at Systems Control.

In March, the Dickinson County jobless rate was at 8.1 percent, the lowest in the U.P. This rate was much lower than the U.P. rate of 10.4 and neighboring Iron County at 10.8 percent.

The April unemployment rate of 7 percent was lower than both the state rate of 7.3 and the U.P. rate of 9.1, according to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget.