Combilift launches mover for huge turbines

As the green energy sector sees a surge in larger wind turbine components, including towers and blades, Combilift joined forces with industry leaders to engineer safe, stable, efficient, lifting and storage solutions across its supply chain.

The Combi-LC, designed at Combilift’s HQ and Manufacturing plant in Ireland, in collaboration with Siemens Gamesa, allows for the movement of wind turbine blades and towers – some as long as 115m and weighing in at around 70t, through production stages and on to storage locations – which can sometimes be as far as 5km apart.

The concept of bespoke Load Carriers [patent pending design] is based on two fully customisable remote-control units with low-level chassis beds that can work in tandem master and slave operation, with dimensions and wheel configurations that vary according to load type and weight.

Siemens Gamesa, one of the world’s largest offshore wind suppliers, has become the first company to leverage the new technology by signing a multi-million euro order for a number of the bespoke Load Carriers, and Combilift is in active discussions with other offshore wind companies with similar demands. 

Combilift expects to generate over €50m in revenue per year in this market segment by 2026.

Combilift heavy equipment manager Josh Moffett, says: “We are thrilled to have launched this new product – The Combi-LC, and we hope it will act as a gateway for us to further progress within our venture into the wind energy sector. The scale of offshore wind projects around the world leads to a very unique set of challenges, one of which being the ability to transport the very large components that make up a wind turbine. We recognised this and used our expertise in load handling to develop a solution to support those in the industry. The product is specifically made to order and therefore can be uniquely customised to fit specific applications.”

Michael Woods, head of offshore equipment operations at Siemens Gamesa, adds: “Seeing the new LC Blade mover in the flesh is impressive, it is fantastic to see it come from design to fruition, the manoeuvrability and functionality looks great, we can't wait to see it onsite moving blades.” 

Martin McVicar, managing director of Combilift explains: “We have a track record of innovation at Combilift. We invest 7% of our revenue annually in R&D and today is the culmination of many years’ hard work. We are delighted to be continuing this tradition of innovation 25 years on.”

For more information, visit https://combilift.com/combi-LC