Logistics 101

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Excerpt: The growth in the size of wind turbines and their components have negatively affected America’s transportation industry. The wind industry has pushed high-load permits to high numbers. Four to five truck loads are needed for each turbine. By one count in 2009, 22,000 truck loads were needed to shi …

What to consider in a contract

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Excerpt: OEMs, such as Suzlon, have a contracts department to handle their many details. “You want to form relationships with carriers,” says the company’s Logistics Director Gary Kowaleski. One route to a good relationship is with a contract that leaves little to no interpretation. He suggests at …

When is a barge faster than a truck?

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Excerpt: Not long ago, transport company ATS International (ATSI) was contracted to ship 100 complete wind turbines. Nacelles and hubs came from Germany, towers were made in Korea, and blades were transported from a fabrication facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. The units were allocated to multiple projects …

Two cranes are better than one

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Excerpt: The Port of Vancouver, Washington boasts two of the largest harbor cranes in North America. Each has a 140-metric ton capacity. The size allows reaching across a wide ship to unload heavy cargo. A 100-ton crane could have trouble unloading a Panamax-sized (wide) vessel because it cannot reach ac …

Challenges in moving huge and heavy components

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Excerpt: In an ideal world, logistics directors would schedule a train to deliver tower sections, nacelles, and blades to a storage area within a few miles of their wind farm. Trucks would complete the delivery. But the ideal quickly runs off the rails because a few rail tunnels are too narrow for nacelles, …

Custom-fit covers for wind-power equipment

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Excerpt: Custom fit covers are an alternative to heavy, expensive custom tarps or conventional hand wrapping for various wind-power applications. Transhield covers are made from Shrinkable Fabric and consist of three layers: an outer layer that is UV-resistant and anti-condensation, a middle adhesive lay …

Trends in transportation and logistics

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Excerpt: The problem with moving wind-turbine components is their size–they are gigantic. Nacelles can measure 12-ft wide and over 20-ft long, while half of a tower can be 12-ft wide and almost 150-ft long. And blades –conversation stoppers on most highways– easily span 100 ft. Moving these str …

AWEA Wind Power Supply Chain Workshop: Logistics

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Excerpt: Moderator: Nikhil Amin, President, Trinity Logistics Group Panel: - Vikash Patel, Transportation & Logistics Manager, GE Energy Logistics - Sally Chope, Transportation & Logistics Manager, Siemens - Terrance Moore, Dir. Business Development, American Electric Power (AEP) River Operatio …

Flatbed Sem-Trailer for Longer Turbine Blades

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Excerpt: A SPZ-P 3 AAA flatbed semi-trailer can transport longer blades. The trailer pictured carries a 55-m long Vestas blade for a total length of 65 m. The three-axle flatbed is the first to carry long blades that weigh 13 ton. Maneuverability, a steering angle of 60°, a swing axle with a constant tr …

300 ton transformers, heaviest yet, head by rail to west Canada

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Excerpt: A milestone in project cargo movement was recently reached at the Head of the Lakes as crews handled the heaviest Canadian Pacific (CP) direct, single-line rail move from the Port of Duluth-Superior to western Canada. Two, 300-ton transformers arrived at the Clure Public Marine Terminal in Dulut …