Noise Control Solutions for Industry and Construction | EW Magazine Publication

EW Magazine: ALARA enables industrial growth while maintaining a sustainable living environment

In addition to the article, an expert interview with Pieter Punt was conducted. This interview can be read via the button above.

Article content: ALARA enables industrial growth while preserving a sustainable living environment

With more than 60 years of experience, full-service provider ALARA is an international reference in industrial noise control and fire safety solutions. “We enable industrial growth while maintaining a safe and liveable environment.”

“We can develop reliable solutions for the most complex noise challenges”

Paul Wijman, Commercial Director at ALARA, remembers it well: “One of our clients came to observe a test with an enclosure we had built for a generator. After a while, he asked: why hasn’t the engine started yet? But it had already been running at full power for an hour. He simply couldn’t hear it because of our enclosure; the noise level had been reduced to less than 53 dB at one meter.” Pieter Punt, CEO of ALARA, adds: “Very few companies can do this; we truly operate at the highest level in the world of industrial noise control.”

With over sixty years of experience, ALARA has grown into an established name in industrial noise control and fire safety solutions. According to Punt, it is a field where technology, experience and precision come together. “We work across a wide range of markets, from data centres and power plants to construction, defence and general industry. These are environments where activities cannot come to a halt despite strict noise limits, environmental regulations and limited space, as our prosperity depends on them. We help make that possible without causing disturbance to the surrounding environment. As a full-service provider, we contribute to economic development as well as a safe and liveable environment.”

Customisation

“This full-service approach is perhaps the company’s greatest strength,” says Punt. “It starts with measurements using our own acoustic software and calculation tools. This is followed by engineering, design, production and ultimately installation on site.” In Groot-Ammers in South Holland, ALARA has extensive production facilities where even the heaviest and most complex structures can be built, including electrical and fuel systems for generator sets. “Our clients are spread across Europe, from Southern Europe to the far north, where systems must continue to function under extreme conditions—snow, ice and temperatures down to minus 30 degrees Celsius. Everything has to be right, from design to assembly, and all knowledge, experience and craftsmanship come together,” Punt explains.

“The work is almost always tailor-made,” Wijman emphasises. “In principle, we can build enclosures for the largest generators. Think of structures three to four metres wide and high, and 15 to 20 metres long, with a total weight that can reach around seventy tonnes. That’s roughly the maximum that can still be transported by road.”

Sometimes it involves series of 100 to 200 units, such as enclosures and doors for energy projects and data centres, but it can just as easily concern single or small-batch production. Wijman nods: “Take, for example, the soundproof and fire-resistant doors in several well-known concert halls; those were also designed and built by ALARA!”

Data centres

Recently, the company delivered 43 containers for a major data centre project, complete with sound-attenuated air intake and exhaust systems. The data centre market is growing rapidly, and ALARA now plays a significant role in it. Data centres consume enormous amounts of energy, and the security of supply is not always guaranteed, even though it is essential to keep critical infrastructure running. The “Magnificent Seven” and other players in this market therefore want powerful backup power systems in place. Punt: “When these systems kick in, they produce a huge amount of noise—and that’s where we come in. ALARA works closely with renowned generator manufacturers, and it’s a positive development that backup power systems are increasingly being used to address grid congestion. In this way, ALARA ensures installations remain reliable while minimising noise disturbance to the surroundings.”

Interview content: EW Expert/In conversation

Your company is the specialist in industrial noise control. Has our country become noisier in that respect?

“It is evident that our country has become much busier, and there are several trends contributing to this and accelerating developments, including current geopolitical dynamics. We are also seeing reshoring, where activities that were moved abroad in the 1990s are now returning. As a result, industry is growing again, which is good for our prosperity. It is important that we become more self-sufficient, and that requires a lot to happen in an environment where space is already scarce. You also need to look beyond national borders and view this development from a European perspective. Then a great deal becomes possible, and with the solutions we offer at ALARA, we can combine economic growth with sustainability and liveability. That is what we stand for as a company, whether in energy generation, defence or industry.”

What is currently a growth market?

“The data centre market is booming, and the demand for energy is growing accordingly. To guarantee energy security, every data centre needs an emergency power supply. However, this produces a lot of noise. At ALARA, we have solutions to reduce that noise, taking into account requirements for ventilation and fire safety, while optimising the installation as efficiently as possible. In the US, you often see that a data centre can only be built if it provides its own power supply. That means a power plant has to be built next to it—and you can hear it! In the vast areas of the US, that may not be an immediate problem, but the Netherlands is a compact country. If on-site power generation for data centres also becomes mandatory in Europe, the issue of noise control will become even more important.”