COMPANY PROFILE
Fast-forward to today and ZF Services UK is firmly established in the wind energy market, having already achieved approved supplier status with five of the top wind farm operators. The company offers a multi-brand, localised service incorporating preventive maintenance, unit overhaul and field service to both onshore and offshore wind farm operators.
The company began expanding its activities by building a wind turbine gearbox manufacturing plant in Gainesville, USA. ZF Friedrichshafen AG subsequently acquired leading wind turbine gearbox manufacturer Hansen Transmissions International NV, headquartered in Lommel, Belgium – which now trades as ZF Wind Power.
GLOBAL PRESENCE Although market share was never the primary focus, the company has also effectively been fast-tracked into a top three position in terms of global presence, with state-of-the-art manufacturing plants for gearboxes in China, Europe, India and the US. The inherent opportunities for rapid access to the market – plus a broad product portfolio – undoubtedly make ZF Wind Power suddenly more interesting as a potential supplier for the key players in the wind sector.
SPECIALIST WIND TURBINE FACILITY The wind turbine facility is currently equipped to handle wind turbine gearboxes of up to 30 tonnes and accommodates a unique, purpose- built validation test rig for gearboxes from turbines of up to two megawatts generating capacity. This can analyse oil flow, gearbox temperature, tooth contact pattern, and noise and vibration profiles.
CAPACITY To cope with growing demand, overhaul capacity has recently been doubled by extending the workshop floor area, the travel of the 30t crane and the productivity of the overhaul validation test rig.
FROM O&M TO OEM – HEADING FOR TECHNOLOGY LEADERSHIP ZF supported wind power operations with overhaul and maintenance services for some time before becoming more deeply involved at the manufacturing level.
Together, these developments escalated ZF’s role from gearbox overhaul and maintenance service provider to that of wind turbine gearbox original equipment manufacturer.
HANSEN ACQUISITION BENEFITS The reasoning behind the Hansen acquisition is twofold. One benefit is that diversification into alternative markets reduces dependency on the automotive business sectors, while still drawing on ZF’s expertise and experience in these industries.
The second is an almost instant gain in technological advantage in the wind power arena, addressing a key ZF strategic objective of achieving technology leadership across all of its business units. According to Hans-Georg Härter, CEO of ZF, “Hansen fits perfectly with our company, from both a strategic and operational perspective. It adds sound know-how in wind turbine technology to our own, long-established R&D competencies in driveline technology.”
FUTURE ASPIRATIONS The joint ZF and Hansen operation has an annual production capacity of ten gigawatts. While the combined business is viewed as a platform for growth, the immediate focus is to make use of that capacity rather than broaden it.
In the foreseeable future, the next step will be using Hansen products to help expand the ZF Wind Power portfolio with wind turbines from 1.5 to more than six megawatts capacity and beyond.
ZF Services
www.zf.com
e = See enhanced entry online
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
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