Annekatrin Strunz, Key Account Manager Wind Power at LIFTKET, gives PES her view of the developments in the wind power industry and the corresponding product development in the company. LIFTKET established more than 70 years ago, in the heart of Germany, is one of the world’s oldest and largest manufacturers of electric chain hoists. It stands for the highest quality, an innovative spirit and attention to detail. Around 300 employees ensure that thousands of LIFTKETs leave the factory every month.
Every single electric chain hoist has been designed, developed, produced and tested with its actual load capacity. A unique ID makes it possible to trace exactly when each electric chain hoist was built, by whom and with which materials, even 10 years after manufacture.
We work mainly in 3 product divisions, Industry, Custom & Stage. For these the corresponding products are adapted to the specific requirements.
The sum of decades of experience, top capabilities and a strong will, to master every challenge, makes tailor-made applications also possible in series, e.g. for electric chain hoists in wind turbines.
At the moment, we see a move towards a tower height of 200m and more, which makes it more than reasonable to carry out maintenance in the turbine once a year. Here we see the opportunity for our new product in this service process in wind turbines. At present, the standard lifting device has a lifting speed of approximately 15 m/min, which results in a lifting time of approximate 21 minutes to lift and to lower from a 160m high tower. During this time, the service personnel, usually 2 people, only monitor the lifting process at one turbine.
