PES caught up with Wim Keen, CSO of STEEL INSPECT. He was happy to tell us about the services the company provides to the offshore wind energy sector and gave an introduction to their unique total quality concept, Q7, which is used to manage the quality of complete offshore wind EPCI projects.

PES: Hi Wim, welcome to PES Wind, it’s great to have this opportunity to talk with you. Would you like to begin by telling us something about the background of Steel Inspect and how Steel Inspect currently serves the offshore wind energy sector?

Wim Keen: Steel Inspect was founded in 2006 by Maik Rienecker. He gained wide experience in worldwide EPCI powerplant construction projects, which he capitalized on to found STEEL INSPECT. Our aim is to serve the construction sector, by capitalizing on his knowledge on how to manage large construction projects, so that they are completed with optimal quality and within best time frames.

Since 2011 STEEL INSPECT has served the offshore wind sector, helping large offshore wind farm projects to be completed to the highest standard. Projects in the offshore wind energy sector are large and complex, often with multiple suppliers and production sites. This calls for a lot of coordination and expertise. We use our expertise and experience to make sure these projects come out as planned and within budgets and time frames promised to our clients.

PES: We know you work in a variety of sectors, so how important is the wind and offshore renewables business to STEEL INSPECT?

WK: The offshore wind energy sector is extremely important for us. Currently it generates more than a 3rd of our annual turnover.

Looking over the last 10 years our experience within the offshore wind industry is based on around 20 projects. The more recent ones include Wikinger, Merkur Offshore, Hohe See, Moray East, Danish Kriegers Flak and the brand new Kaskasi project.