G&W Electric
Innovation. Reliability. Experience.

John Mueller, Chairman of the Board, President & Owner The year is 1995, and the dinner table is all set at the Mueller’s residence. It has been only one year since John Mueller, the oldest in the family became the president of G&W Electric. He has shared the industry’s respect for the company and therefore retained the “G&W” branding, at the same time, he has many plans to expand his company through acquisitions and product launches. As John sets his fork into his tossed salad, his father starts conversing about G&W’s people and success. He comments, “We may be the owner, but we are basically the caretakers! Our responsibility is to take care of our employees and customers, and our ultimate goal is to ensure that the company is better today, tomorrow, and the next day than before.” There’s a sense of respect and affirmation in John’s eyes. Even though he knows that taking a legendary company forward and creating an aura of customer and employee satisfaction will not be easy, he is resolute to take his company to the greatest heights. Under John Mueller’s leadership, G&W added new technologies through product development and acquisition. Hotsplicer Corporation was added in 2000, which provided G&W the molding expertise to become a leader in molded solid dielectric switchgear. Both the industry-leading Viper reclosers and Trident switchgear were developed from this technology.

Many things changed for G&W in the coming years, but their relentless pursuit toward delivering a customer-centric portfolio never ended. Fast forward to today, G&W specializes in adapting and building electrical technology designed to the latest industry standards. The company is backed by over a century of expertise in custom-engineering creative solutions surrounding cable accessories, switchgear, reclosers, system protection equipment, and distribution automation. G&W combines cutting-edge design and manufacturing technology with world-class ISO-certified quality systems to deliver equipment for projects of any scale.

"The grid of the future is demanding devices that can provide more reliable and accurate data, and G&W is doing its part"

Providing Overcurrent Protection

As a global supplier of electrical power equipment, G&W focuses on offering custom-built switchgear, medium, and high-voltage cable accessories, and fault current limiters. Their third generation of switchgear consists of solid dielectric insulation, which has proven to be more compact, lighter, and safer than other SF6-insulated switches. G&W also offers a variety of solid dielectric reclosers—trade named Viper—that are capable of providing overcurrent protection on distribution systems rated 15.5 through 38kV, 800A continuous current, and 16kA with symmetrical interrupting up to 27kV. The Viper reclosers are aimed at improving the reliability and resiliency to faults of the overhead systems.

The key differentiator for us is that we have the best team on the planet and they take care of our customers in the best possible way

G&W has established its dominance in supplying reclosers through a partnership with SEL—the first North American built recloser package (interrupter plus control) with integrated six built-in voltage sensors on dead tank design. “This has not only resulted in fewer animal flashovers but facilitates improved dielectric stability of the equipment,” says John Gounaris, the VP of marketing of G&W Electric.

The solid dielectric Viper recloser weighs considerably less than oil insulated devices and doesn’t need any special lifting equipment to operate. It utilizes G&W’s time-proven EPOX polymer system to fully encapsulate the vacuum interrupters. This system provides excellent insulation properties while delivering completely shielded, void-free construction. “All overcurrent protection modules are UV protected, and 100 percent factory tested for partial discharge,” adds Gounaris. Further, the product maintains operator safety as vacuum fault interrupters are sealed within solid dielectric insulation providing dead tank construction. While the combination of its hook stick, the manual trip, and lockout handle enables users to prohibit operation either directly or remotely, the mechanical blocking device assists against accidental closure from the ground level. “The device also has an open and closed contact indicator that verifies contact position,” adds Mueller.

Flexibility and Customization

On the application flexibility side, Viper units are designed for overhead, substation, and padmount applications. The product comes with a combination of pole-mounted units equipped with either horizontal or vertical insulators or removable silicone insulators for overhead applications. This feature permits easy field replacement if an insulator is damaged. Higher external BIL-rated insulators can also be used in high pollution areas and can be retrofitted if necessary.

Unlike the traditional manufacturers, G&W takes custom engineering to the next level by delivering various iterations of the basic reclosers’ design specifically crafted for each utility. This allows utility and energy clients to standardize their installation, operation, and maintenance procedures without being restricted by the market’s limitations. G&W’s pre-wired and tested reclosers effectively help clients to save on labor costs, and ultimately perform quicker installations.

While presenting the numerous capabilities of G&W’s vast portfolio offerings, Mueller highlights an impressive use case scenario that involved a customer in the western part of the U.S. The utilities client wanted to add reclosing devices and new poles to reduce the congestion, as the existing poles were housing phone and cable lines in addition to the multiple electrical lines. As the traditional reclosers require up to six feet of vertical space to install, the client approached G&W to find a custom solution with lower height requirements. Being the only manufacturer offering numerous recloser configurations, G&W provided the client with the Z-shaped Viper reclosers—as opposed to the traditionally L-shaped—which reduced its overall footprint by one and a half feet.

John Gounaris, VP of MarketingThis not only eased the reclosers’ installations on the pole but also improved the accuracy and efficiency of the entire process.

Powering a Generation and beyond

G&W has come a long way today to combine extensive research and development with ISO:9001 certified quality systems in both its manufacturing and design process. Along the years, G&W has evolved, weathering all the transformations and powering the world with innovative power systems, solutions, and products. Founded by two distribution utility engineers from Commonwealth Edison in Chicago, the company has attained success that can be determined from the fact that it employs 900 employees globally, and its U.S. plant covers over 371,000 square feet and represents a showcase of modern engineering, manufacturing, and marketing technology.

Mueller gives all the credit for his company’s success to his team and the vibrant and innovative work culture at G&W. He informs, “The key differentiator for us is that we have the best team on the planet and they take care of our customers in the best possible way.” With an ever-present commitment to customer satisfaction, G&W enjoys a worldwide reputation for quality products and superior service. “It is this commitment which has kept us ahead of a changing industry and will allow us to power the world for many years to come,” says Mueller.

The company recently announced the availability of a new 38kV version of their Accusense Voltage Sensor at the IEEE PES T&D Conference & Exposition in Denver, CO. When compared to the traditional heavy and bulky voltage transformers, the 38KV sensor is lightweight, easy to install, and can be used as a stand-alone voltage metering system or paired with G&W’s industry-leading, Viper reclosers. Combining the Accusense Voltage Sensor and Viper recloser will allow end-users to improve power quality, increase reliability, and run an efficient power delivery grid to reduce losses across their power lines. “There are several voltage sensor solutions in the market; however, very few come bundled as a complete solution like Accusense and our Viper recloser,” mentions Mueller. “The grid of the future is demanding devices that can provide more reliable and accurate data, and G&W is doing its part by continually improving upon its line of highly engineered and customized solutions to make that grid a reality.” For the years to come, G&W plans to continue investing in research and new product development. The company will stay focused on delivering reclosers primarily for circuit-breaker applications. “Our innovations are aimed at improving reliability, increasing the speed of entire operations and improving the accuracy of data. This will serve as an essential driver for the general market and the energy industry,” concludes Mueller.