At the recent LM Wind Power 2016 Supplier Day, Scott Bader Co. Ltd was presented with ‘Most innovative supplier 2016’ award for its new, ‘zero styrene’ spray gelcoat technology. The prestigious supplier award certificate was presented by Marc de Jong, CEO of LM Wind Power to Malcolm Forsyth, Director, Global Strategy for Scott Bader Co. Ltd, who has overall strategic partnership responsibility for LM Wind Power. LM Wind Power is a long standing key global customer, whose factories use Scott Bader Co. gelcoat and structural adhesive in the production of FRP wind turbine blades around the world.
On stage at the recent LM Wind Power Supplier Awards event, where the Scott Bader Co. team was presented with the ‘Most Innovative Supplier 2016’ award for its new zero styrene gelcoat technology.
After the presentation, Mr. Forsyth commented: “Scott Bader is absolutely delighted to receive this recognition of our innovative capabilities from a major customer like LM Wind Power. We dedicate more than 10% of our global workforce to research and development (R & D), and see innovation and bringing new advanced technology products to market as a key corporate strength and competitive differentiator. The Scott Bader R & D team rose to the challenge set by LM Wind Power to rapidly develop a zero styrene gelcoat for blade manufacture and did a fantastic job in developing this new breakthrough product in a short period of time”
This latest in-house R & D innovation from Scott Bader was in response to LM Wind Power’s HSE and sustainability objectives, set with the full support and participation of senior management within LM Wind Power. Marc van Heeringen, Supply Chain leader for Chemicals at LM Wind Power explains:
“In LM Wind Power, we have an internal Global HSE & Sustainability Council chaired by our CEO. A key sustainable development goal agreed by the council is to eliminate styrene from all LM Wind Power plants in a staged process over the coming years. Now that Scott Bader has successfully developed a new zero styrene gelcoat that also meets all quality criteria for our wind turbine blades, we are a big step closer to achieving this sustainability goal in all our FRP production facilities, and have market leading HSE performance wherever we operate in the world.”
Over the coming years, LM Wind Power plans to switch all gelcoated blade parts molded around the world to the new zero styrene gelcoat in a managed change process with its end customers.
Other sustainability focus areas for LM Wind Power include implementing in depth end-to-end life cycle analysis of LM Wind Power blades; explore the development of credible end-of-life options and recycling solutions; and reducing the company’s own carbon emissions.
This latest leadership drive for sustainability is part of an ongoing, long standing corporate philosophy that is shared by both Scott Bader and LM Wind Power with respect to the environment, health and safety; both companies have continued to set themselves sustainable development goals that go beyond current legislation. Back in 2012, Scott Bader launched its new ‘ultra-low styrene’ content gelcoat Crystic Ecogel S1PA, and LM Wind Power became the first blade producer in the industry to use this innovative ultra-low styrene gelcoat technology in all of its manufacturing facilities, reducing shop floor styrene emissions by more than 50%.
Like Scott Bader Co. Ltd, LM Wind Power creates long-term strategic partnerships which enable key suppliers to add real value in all business areas, from Health, Safety and Environment and excellence in technical product performance, to overall reductions in immediate costs and ‘Total Cost of Ownership’. The company’s approach recognises the need to treat suppliers fairly to maximise and share the benefits and ultimately serves the purpose of reducing the ‘Levelized Cost of Energy’ through strong, transparent supply chain partnerships.
LM Wind Power is one of the world’s largest independent suppliers of rotor blades for wind turbines, with a global manufacturing footprint that includes blade factories in Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, India, Poland, Spain and the United States. The company has produced more than 185,000 blades since 1978, corresponding to more than 77 GW installed capacity and global savings of more than 147 million tons of carbon dioxide gas annually.
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