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Offshore plant inauguration: Siemens Gamesa celebrates in Cuxhaven

Offshore plant inauguration: Siemens Gamesa celebrates in Cuxhaven
Inauguration of Siemens production site in Cuxhaven (Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy)

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) ceremoniously inaugurated its turbine house factory in Cuxhaven at the beginning of June. The ultra-modern manufacturing centre was officially opened in a ceremony by the company’s management and staff with the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil, parliamentary undersecretary Enak Ferlemann and Mayor of Cuxhaven Ulrich Getsch in attendance. At the Cuxhaven facility, staff of Siemens Gamesa assemble turbine houses for wind turbines for use at sea.

Processes within the plant, like transport procedures to wind farms out at sea, are designed with particular efficiency in order to further reduce power generation costs for electricity produced at sea. Construction work for the approx. 55,000 square metre factory began in June 2016. Production at the facility has been under way since mid-2017, initially as part of the general startup phase. The construction period and the complete commissioning of production lines consequently took around two years overall. The Siemens Gamesa factory is the largest production facility of its kind in Germany. The company has invested around 200 million euros in total in Cuxhaven. Some 850 staff are expected to be working at the Cuxhaven plant at the end of 2018, with more than half involved directly in manufacturing.

Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil backs offshore industry at coast

“I’m delighted by what Siemens Gamesa has achieved here. And these modern manufacturing operations are just the beginning: We’ve approved areas for the establishment of industry in waters directly off Cuxhaven and plan to further develop the port into a base port for Germany,” states Stephan Weil, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony.

“With our new plant in Cuxhaven, Siemens Gamesa is sending a very clear signal for the economic potential of renewable energies. Thanks to continual innovation, wind power at sea is becoming increasingly competitive compared to other forms of energy production,” states Markus Tacke, CEO of Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our resourceful staff here in Cuxhaven and in the company for their tireless efforts. We’d also like to thank the many supporters of the project in government and in Siemens AG and our dedicated partners.”

Ultra-modern production, cost-saving logistics

The new Siemens Gamesa plant is built close to the North Sea-facing edge of the port and allows for the direct transport of large and heavy wind turbine components by ship from the factory to wind turbines out at sea. The Rotra Vente transport vessel constructed specially for the task is a fundamental component of the Ro/Ro (roll-on/roll-off) logistics concept of Siemens Gamesa. Compared to conventional transport by road and loading operations by crane, safety is greatly improved by the company and logistics savings made of around 20 percent.

Production processes in the 32-metre-high factory hall have also been efficiently streamlined. Digital material flow management ensures short warehousing and availability of all components in the appropriate sequence. Modern industrial robots equip the generators with magnets, thereby ensuring optimal product quality. Digital systems are used in numerous test processes and in documenting individual production steps.

About Astrid Dose

Profilbild zu: Astrid Dose

Talking, writing, organising – and having lots of fun! This is what my days at the EEHH Cluster look like. I’ve been responsible for public relations and marketing for the Hamburg industry network since 2011. I studied History and English and have a soft spot for technical issues.

by Astrid Dose