Towne Lifting & Testing, a member of NOF Energy, has expanded its contract scope with Siemens Gamesa after its new lifting concept used during turbine pre-assembly operations in Hull, the UK, proved successful.
The UK-based company established a lifting village at Siemens Gamesa’s Alexandra Dock facility, where it was in charge of conducting a safety and efficiency assessment to make sure all equipment met safety standards and was suitable for lifting operations.
The lifting village is staffed by Towne Lifting & Testing’s engineers 24 hours a day and includes a rigging loft and stock of lifting equipment placed at easy-to-access storage points.
According to NOF Energy, the company’s responsibilities have now been expanded to incorporate other areas, such as container equipment, inspections and transport equipment.
Towne Lifting & Testing said it hopes its services will be rolled out to other Siemens sites following the conclusion of the 12-month contract.
“We have introduced many improvements to the Siemens Gamesa site through reducing the amount of dropped or failed equipment,” said Thomas Towne , Director at Towne Lifting & Testing.
“The presence of our qualified engineers has also led to less down time by creating efficient stock control. Siemens Gamesa has asked us to take on other responsibilities on the site, which reflects well on our expertise and growing reputation. We hope to work closely with Siemens on other projects in the future.”
Siemens Gamesa opened the Alexandra Dock facility in December 2016 when it officially unveiled its 75m blade, which multi-media artist Nayan Kulkarni transformed into a sculpture later exposed in the Queen Victoria Square.