Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe

Training helps OEM roll out lean manufacturing techniques

By Paul Dvorak | December 17, 2012

NPL webpageVestas is the world’s largest manufacturer of wind turbines with facilities the world over. One of its manufacturing problems common to many companies is the disconnect between those responsible for introducing new technology and processes, and those using them. This can mean numerous iterations of roll out plans before reaching a workable understanding.

To address this, the company established a ‘Prototype Team’ – a dedicated group of technicians to validate new products and processes. The team provides a link between the Production Business Unit and the shop floor, testing new products and processes and providing feedback.

To ensure the team had the right skills, Vestas put them through a range of training courses, including the National Physical Laboratory’s (NPL) Dimensional Measurement training.

This is helping the team evaluate new technologies and processes, and identify the best ones for the job and how to implement them. The training has given them the confidence to make full reports and recommendations back to company engineers. This helps iron out problems and ensures that new approaches are rolled out to the shop floor seamlessly.

Another positive outcome has been cost savings. There is much less need to observe processes in other offices before implementing them.

“The course started with the basics – which even for those with considerable experience was a good exercise in highlighting preconceptions that needed to be challenged – then built up to the more detailed in-depth measurement issues,” says Vestas Team Leader Trevor Corsham. “The course provided the right mix of theory and practice to make it interesting right from the start.”

Another benefit of the training was that it gave participants a common language with engineers. “When you’re in a production environment and presented with a drawing, it introduces challenges that must be dealt with. If you then come across problems you can’t solve, it can seriously hold up production. This training lets us fully understand the designs and lay out the right approach for the shop floor, or go back to the designer and work with them to resolve any problems. It’s about breaking down silos and creating a level footing between the shop floor and the rest of the business,” says Corsham.

“We established the team to ensure we could take advantage of new technologies and processes and implement them with minimal disruption,” says James Luter, Director of the Prototype facility. Understanding measurement is key to understanding and validating how these changes can benefit the business. NPL’s training lets us rigorously evaluate new ideas, identify where they can save time and money, deliver increased value to customers, and roll them out quickly and effectively.”

National Physical Lab
npl.co.uk


Filed Under: Components, News, Training
Tagged With: National Physical Lab, NPL, Vestas
 

About The Author

Paul Dvorak

Related Articles Read More >

Equinor launches ECO Liberty service operations vessel for Empire Wind offshore project
Triton Anchor receives U.S. patents for offshore anchor
US government allows Empire Wind offshore project to resume construction
Richardson Electronics to deliver pitch energy modules to TransAlta wind fleets

Podcasts

Wind Spotlight: Looking back at a year of Thrive with ZF Wind Power
See More >

Windpower Engineering & Development Digital Edition Archive

Digital Edition

Explore the full archive of digital issues of Windpower Engineering & Development, presented in a high-quality, user-friendly format. Access current and past editions, clip, share, and download valuable content from the industry’s leading wind power engineering resource.

Windpower Engineering & Development
  • Wind Articles
  • Solar Power World
  • Subscribe to Windpower Engineering
  • About Us/Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising

Search Windpower Engineering & Development

  • Home
  • Articles
    • Most recent posts
    • News
    • Featured
  • Resources
    • Digital issues
    • Podcasts
    • Suppliers
    • Webinars
    • Events
  • Videos
  • 2025 Leadership
    • 2024 Winners
    • 2023 Winners
    • 2022 Winners
  • Magazine
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe