Meet Ollie Lavery, Generator Service Engineer at CPS

Date: 22/04/25

Our team works across the country to keep businesses powered and prepared whatever the circumstances. Whether it’s servicing critical backup power for hospitals, or maintaining generators on a remote site, every day is different. This variety is one of the things experienced engineer Ollie enjoys about his role at CPS.

Specialist, transferable skills for a career in power

Before joining CPS three years ago, Ollie worked in power stations and on a high-pressure gas main line on the Isle of Man, where he grew up. After moving to Lancashire just after the pandemic, he brought his extensive experience to generator servicing and testing.

“There are a lot of transferable skills in the power industry,” he explains. “Electricity is powered mostly in the same way, whether it’s generated by a steam turbine, a gas turbine, a water wheel, or a diesel engine. Once you understand how it works, you can turn your mind to anything that moves.”

Working wherever power is needed

For Ollie, one of the biggest differences between his previous role and his work at CPS is the changes in scenery. Generator sets that are hired out are brought back to the CPS yard for testing and servicing, and all other generators are tested and serviced in situ.

“In a power station you’re in the same place all the time. Now, I can be servicing and testing generators on a rooftop one day and underground the next, or in a field in the countryside. By the end of my first week, I’d seen so many different settings.”

Each week involves a mix of servicing and load testing. Servicing includes spinning the filters, changing oils, and checking everything is running safely and smoothly on the generator. Load testing involves testing the generators to make sure they are operating at 100% - or in some cases, 110% - of their capability.

“There are so many types of organisations that need generators, so there’s a lot of work to be done,” says Ollie.  “We recently completed a round of servicing and testing for a major hospital in the North West, which has around 10 generators on site.” The hospital is just one of the many essential healthcare facilities across the country, from hospices to NHS Trusts, that rely on CPS for critical power solutions.

Independence and teamwork

While much of his role is independent, Ollie says the team at CPS is always there for support.

“If something needs to be fixed, those are the most interesting jobs because I can get stuck into the challenge. The team is supportive, and there’s always help if it’s needed.”

His advice for those considering a career in backup power? “Go for it. It’s a multi-skilled role, so you can come from either an electrical or mechanical background and learn the rest. Plus, the CPS Preston office is in a great countryside location!”

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