The event was attended by a host of business leaders from around Scotland who were given a tour of the 165,000 square feet warehouse 20 miles outside Glasgow, which is the hub of global power company Aggreko's manufacturing and production.

Aggreko interim chief executive Angus Cockburn led Lord Smith and Team GB men's curling skip David Murdoch, who guided his side to silver at Sochi 2014, on a trip around the plant while staff were busy at work building the 150 power generators that will be used to power the 13 sporting venues and Athletes' Village during the Games.

Operations manager at the plant, Jim Kilpatrick, explained that the generators will produce 35 kilowatts of power for the Games and that Aggreko will also be providing air conditioning units and temperature control equipment over the 11 days of action from July 23 to August 3.

Kilpatrick is one of more than 200 full-time employees at the facility, which was opened in 2012 and is a driving force behind Aggeko's reported £1.5 billion ($2.5 billion/€1.8 billion) annual turnover.

Originally set up in the Netherlands in 1962, Aggreko moved to Scotland in 1973 and is headquartered in Glasgow.

It operates in more than 190 countries worldwide, employing around 6,000 people, and is listed and is a member of the FTSE 100 index.

Operations manager at Aggreko's Dumbarton plant, Jim Kilpatrick, describes how the facility works and what is produced ©ITG



Glasgow 2014 is the latest in a number of major international events that the company has been selected as a supplier of temporary power to, following on from Salt Lake City 2002, Beijing 2008, Vancouver 2010 and London 2012, as well as the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Speaking after the tour, Cockburn declared that Aggreko's philosophy is based on the sporting principles of "pace, passion and performance" and these mirrored those of the athletes set to compete at the Games this summer.

He also stressed the importance of Aggreko's role in showing to the world that Scottish companies can be global leaders and be trusted to deliver on the biggest stage.

"We are really proud of our association with the Commonwealth Games and today demonstrated our commitment and what it means to our people and they are incredibly proud to be associated with such a great event," Cockburn told insidethegames.

"I am passionate about my belief that you can be world class manufacturing organisation based in Scotland.

"We export to over 100 countries around the world and we stand for quality and reliability and that's exactly what the Commonwealth Games need and stand for.

"They are going to be the best Commonwealth Games yet and we are proud to be a part of that.

"Today just demonstrates that you can be based in Scotland and still have a global presence."

Aggreko interim chief executive Angus Cockburn (left) explains to David Murdoch (centre) and Lord Smith of Kelvin the process behind the power in Dumbarton ©ITG



That was a sentiment echoed by Glasgow 2014 chairman Lord Smith, who told insidethegames that Aggreko is a shining example of how Scottish companies can and have used this year's Commonwealth Games to develop and build a lasting legacy for business in the country.

"Aggreko are world class there is no question about it," he said.

"To have someone here based in Dumbarton and in Glasgow that is actually number one in its field around the world is absolutely terrific and we have total confidence in them.

"The Games will be global and there's going to people coming here from all around the world.

"If you are doing something in your own country then you are hoping that local firms will be able to benefit from that to ensure an economic legacy as well as a social and sporting legacy.

"Now there are obviously rules around these things in terms of the tendering process [for contracts].

"You can just say, 'oh you speak with a Scottish accent so here you go'.

"Remember we are using a lot of public money so we have to ensure there is a level playing field."

This specially commissioned artwork will adorn one of the Aggreko generators at Glasgow 2014 ©ITG



He continued: "What the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council did was set up a process where bids were tendered but they had to come in on time, they had to be of the highest quality.

"But they [local firms] were encouraged to try for these [contract] and instead of saying, 'oh it will be some foreign business that will get it'.

"Now we have something like 80 per cent of value contracts for the Games have gone to Scottish companies.

"These people now know that they can win competition against other world class [firms] and that will encourage them to keep improving and bid for other things in the UK and across Europe and that is terrific.

"That is real long term economic legacy."

To round off the tour, a specially commissioned artwork generator to celebrate the Games was unveiled featuring a swimmer and is set to be on display outside many of the Games' venues this summer.