Global installed wind capacity stands at over 800GW. The extent and breadth of wind farms, from the equator to northern climates, from areas with low wind speeds to installations far offshore, is the result of the wind industry's decades of relentless focus on innovation in order to deliver clean and affordable power.
In many markets around the world, wind has achieved grid parity. Post-subsidy markets expose wind farms to volatile wholesale power markets, hedged by power purchase agreements (PPAs). To ensure a wind farm is able to deliver returns across its entire life cycle (more than 25 years) depends on asset-management approaches and preventive operations and maintenance (O&M) strategies focused on maximising availability. But a service solution that might work for one wind farm cannot simply be replicated to deliver the same result at another.
Unrivalled depth of insight
Through its Winergy brand, Flender has been supplying and maintaining wind turbine gearboxes since the wind industry was in its infancy. Over the past 40 years they have continued to grow along with the industry, and have supplied over 200GW of gearbox capacity and more than 50,000 generators. That gives us the company unrivalled depth of insight into individual wind farm operations few can match.
The challenges facing the industry today require different service approaches that are local yet leverage the benefit of a global network. Winergy has established a global network of service hubs in every major market, with locations in Germany, the UK, Italy and Spain (Europe), US and Brazil (the Americas), China, India, Japan and Australia (Asia-Pacific).
The locations represent local and individual service solutions, with no language barriers, including gearbox and generator repairs that range from up-tower solutions to workshop services, gearbox testing, replacement components and tailored offerings, as well as a comprehensive array of spare parts from an online webshop and regional gearbox training in Germany, the US and China – and the company is expanding its global reach further in with the aim of being a one-stop shop for global wind customers.
US-spotlight: Winergy Elgin Illinois Service Center
Winergy has continued to adapt its business to meet the needs of the industry in regional markets. For example, its US plant in Elgin, Illinois was originally built to assemble gearboxes for the North American market, supported by a sales team in Germany. Today, its Elgin facility has evolved into a full-scope service hub. A US sales and service team supports the entire customer base of wind farm asset owners and operators, as well as turbine manufacturers across North America.
Elgin offers entire drivetrain service solutions, from gearboxes – comprising both Winergy units and selected multibrand units – to spare parts. It also provides main shaft repairs, couplings, spare generators and spare parts, a highly skilled field service team of O&M technicians, a digitalised service enabling an efficient, rapid response, as well as training support.
Winergy recognises the changing needs of its customers, with many operating assets across different locations, each presenting different climatic, logistical or other localised challenges. Clients operating wind farms based on ageing turbines have very different requirements from operators of newer wind farms. The company’s 40 years of experience gives it unique insight into the challenges facing the industry so that it can partner with owners and operators to find the best solutions.
Winergy’s one-stop-shop service offering also includes customised service concepts. To prevent unplanned downtime and extend the life of your turbine, the Winergy Elgin Service Center can provide customers with a new mainshaft, gearbox, coupling and generator that have been designed as an optimised configuration for your specific wind farm. Customers can objectively discuss the best upgrade solution to their needs with the Winergy gearbox and generator professionals.
Partnering approach
Winergy is committed to partnering with customers, discussing issues and challenges in person and exploring individual solutions together. Its servicing offerings meet the needs of individual customers, in each region, from low-cost up-tower or down-tower repair solutions to full drivetrains, with upgraded products and increased safety factors. It can range from spare-parts supply through to jointly planning with customers their future stock needs and keeping these products in storage for them. From ordering a spare part to joint-failure assessment, implementing corrective actions and big data analysis, Winergy can offer a solution based on different requirements, objectives and budgets.
But whatever the service package, in whichever part of the world, Winergy’s global quality-standard is always applied, providing much-needed consistency even within especially challenging times of global supply-chain bottlenecks and material-cost increases. Winergy works hard to find creative and tailored solutions to ensure turbine availability and to meet the specific needs of its customers.
Read more about Winergy's tailor made turbine solutions .
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