Geislinger CEO Torsten Philipp discusses the challenges and opportunities shaping wind drivetrain technology, from increasing torque density and supply chain resilience to the role of digital monitoring in improving turbine performance and uptime.
PES: Torsten, welcome, and thank you for joining us. Geislinger has long been recognised for drivetrain innovation, but your role in the wind industry appears to be evolving. To set the scene, tell us a little about what that evolution looks like today and where you see Geislinger creating the biggest impact.
Torsten Philipp: Thanks a lot for inviting me! And you are right: the wind industry is evolving, and so is Geislinger. We started our journey in the wind industry more than 10 years ago and, from the beginning, have contributed to increasing torque density and enabling larger wind turbines by developing groundbreaking technologies: the first mass-produced low-speed shaft coupling, the first gearbox-integrated vibration damper and the all-new carbon fibre sun shaft for planetary gearboxes to actively reduce tonalities. We continue to build on this heritage as a solution provider.
However, we have added two additional pillars to this. First, we understand that robust and reliable supply chains are just as important as new technologies for our wind energy customers. With our global production footprint, we can now also offer more standardised components, such as hydraulic shaft couplings and friction discs, to all major markets.