PES talks with Billy Stevenson, Managing Director, Deutsche Windtechnik Ltd, to find
out about the growth in wind power in the UK and the prospects for the future.
PES: Welcome to PES Wind magazine. Thanks for talking with us. Would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of your organisation and how you currently serve the wind industry?
Billy Stevenson: In recent years we have all experienced a remarkable development. Wind energy is the driving force for the turnaround in energy policy and takes on a massive role, perhaps even the most important role, in a climate-friendly and safe power supply in the future. The roots of Deutsche Windtechnik are in Bremen, Germany, where the first unit was founded in 2004 with a wealth of experience.
The number of employees shows just how fast we have grown: In the first year we had 52 employees; in mid-2016 we have about 780 all over Europe! Today Deutsche Windtechnik is a leading independent service provider for independent maintenance services for wind turbines, operating worldwide, onshore and offshore. On land alone we manage more than 2,700 machines manufactured by Vestas/NEG Micon, Siemens/An Bonus, Nordex and Senvion, with fixed maintenance contracts. And we are continuously gaining more customers, orders and wind farms.
So everything is pointing towards further healthy expansion.
PES: Can you explain how Deutsche Windtechnik is set up in Europe and how the various companies in the group work together?
BS: Our competitive advantage is that we are fully focused on the maintenance of wind turbines and yet, as different manufacturers do, we also master a wide range of disciplines in this area (such as machinery, rotors, control systems, substations, etc.).
The advantages of being a medium-sized company enable us to ensure that every country receives the necessary information from the respective competence centres. At the same time, we must also make sure that, as our company grows, we maintain our standard of quality.
We achieve this by launching predefined areas of focus regarding technology and services in some countries, so that we can broaden our spectrum step by step through our staff, their qualifications and our organisation. The direct communication and high level of motivation of our in-house and external staff remain key to our success.
