The answer is blowing in the wind SSP Technology

THE ANSWER IS BLOWING IN THE WIND

Leading wind turbine blade company SSP Technology delivers its full service, tailor-made products to customers across the world. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to marketing coordinator Martin Fischer to find out more.

Established in Denmark in 2008, SSP Technology is a leading wind turbine blade technology company. Offering a complete service from its Kirkeby, central Denmark facilities, SSP Technology has enjoyed solid and steady growth in this increasingly important sector.

SSP Technology’s full service solution starts with creating customised blade designs and goes right through to subcomponent manufacturing and zero-series production of complete blade systems. Marketing coordinator Martin Fischer spoke to Industry Europe to explain how this progressive company maximises its facilities to deliver high-end products. He said, “We’ve had a strong position since we started in 2001, with significant historical growth in both revenues and profitability. Since 2001, we’ve been manufacturing more than 40 moulds, with each capable of a high number of blade prints each year. We’ve designed and developed more than 15 unique blades ranging up to 7MW, which really highlights how we utilise our impressive, state-of-theart 16,500m2 facilities.”

Skilled workforce

SSP Technology’s facilities are also very well positioned. Close to the international harbours of Odense and Esbjerg, the company has major motorways less than 2km away and is also easily accessible by the international airports of Copenhagen and Hamburg. Mr Fischer added, “Our main site in Kirkeby is where our headquarters, our tooling and equipment design facilities and our manufacturing capabilities are all housed. We also have another dedicated component design and engineering centre located close to the respected Aalborg University in the Danish city of Aalborg.”

He continued, “Furthermore, our specific northern European region is very much a wind energy cluster with many experienced professionals. So we are fortunate to be able to source new and experienced employees from this cluster. Throughout our history, we have been at the forefront of developing long, durable, high quality blades. This means that we have been able to attract highly skilled professionals who are interested in joining a cuttingedge company.”

As well as growth in terms of portfolio and headcount, SSP Technology has also expanded its global reach in recent years with new customers in Asia and South America.

As an independent, turnkey provider of multi-component solutions for larger rotor blades, SSP Technology is proud of its superior material handling capabilities. It marries this with extensive experience in using a variety of composite materials such as glass fibre and carbon fibre to be able to deliver a complete value-chain capability.

Mr Fischer added, “We have earned worldwide patents for design and production of complex blade structures such as root joints, spars and mould technology. With our team of over 30 industry experts with strong academic backgrounds and highly capable engineering and technology skills, we are continually working on solutions that help us stand apart from the competition.”

The patented root joint created by SSP Technology is an important feather in its cap. A unique design for the root joint component of the blades, this is the section where the connection is made between the blades and the rotor hub of the turbine to which it must be attached. The unique SSP Technology root joint enables the blade to carry higher loads/be longer, which allows it produce more energy. Mr Fischer explained, “Our root joint becomes a very good investment in the long run for our customers; it is the strongest solution on the market. It has a far lower failure rate, it can be sectioned without lowering the load capacity and it is especially suited to off-shore applications thanks to its superior load capacity.”

Exceeding expectations

With all SSP Technology’s solutions tailormade to meet the exact requirements of each customer, the company is committed to delivering turbine blades that exceed expectations. A recent example of this is the project it has just completed for Samsung Heavy Industries. Flemming Sorensen, cofounder, CTO and managing director of SSP Technology was involved in the entire project and he said, “Development and production of the world’s longest blade is not done overnight. It is an extremely delicate process that needs constant focus, testing and followup. In close cooperation with our customer, we have made sure that nothing has been left to chance. Daily coordination meetings,

quality checks and inspections have been a natural part of our working day for the last 24 months.” The 7MW wind turbines in this project are equipped with the SSP Technology blades and can produce the annual energy used by an average family in just 30 minutes.

As SSP Technology is committed to staying ahead of the future challenges of this fastmoving industry, it predicts two major trends. Mr Fischer explained, “We will see a greater demand for larger offshore wind turbines – with longer blades of greater durability – and we will see a stronger standardisation across the wind turbine industry. We are striving to prepare for these two trends. In terms of our future aims, we are very much focused on Japan. Owing to the Fukushima accident its energy policy has shifted in favour of sustainable energy and we know that we have a lot to offer as an experienced Danish company.” n