Global Leader in Wind Tower production chooses Faccin Group

Written by:
Javier Lanfranchi                            Eng. Diego Morbini
Area Sales Manager                      Senior Technical Sales Manager

Spanish wind tower manufacturer has recently installed two automated plate rolling lines and it is already in full production.

A global leader in the wind power industry with headquarters in Spain offering a wide range of solutions for manufacturing wind towers for wind turbines and offshore foundations, part of an international Spanish group with more than 60 years’ experience in the manufacture of tubular steel structures like boilers, pressure vessels and strategic energy projects and a historical partner of Faccin Group, has recently installed two Faccin heavy-duty plate rollers in its Indian and Russian facilities for the production of onshore and offshore wind towers.

When Faccin
Group was contacted for this project through its long-term agent in the market,
the analysis of the customer’s requirements started immediately due to the satisfactory
rapport with the company and the trust of working together since 2001 when the
group purchased from Faccin a 3 rolls variable geometry plate roll model HAV
for the energy sector.

Since this
first installation almost 20 years ago and then during the Group’s decision to
enter the Wind Power industry in 2006, starting its own wind tower production
as part of its diversification strategy, Faccin has been a trusted partner and
technical consultant to the Spanish group, providing a wealth of experience in
the plate rolling process and state-of-the-art technology dedicated to the wind
tower manufacturing market.

This new
project required not only two completely dedicated automated wind tower
production lines that would permit the group to operate the lines with
non-skilled operators but at the same time absorb the high demand of onshore
wind turbines in the APAC and CIS markets with a carefully planned and
coordinated delivery for their just on time supply chain and their exigencies
of return of investment.

When the
project for the CIS market was discussed, the highly experienced consultants in
the wind power industry of Faccin Group advised on a higher capacity line that
would cover the current onshore projects but also the potential offshore market.

The Spanish
group accepted the new budget based on the experts advise and as a result, the
customer’s production cycle has been highly optimized ultimately increasing the
rapport between the Spanish Group and Faccin for future projects.

What
Faccin Group offers to Wind Tower manufacturers

The wind
power market is incredibly complicated and diversified depending on the type of
production to be pursued since there are many different production types in the
wind business with multiple sub-categories.

The wind tower production is characterized by different technical
requirements and determined mainly on where the towers will be placed, onshore
or offshore, or the production of specifics parts, like wind tower doors which
have very particular bending needs.

Offshore wind foundations are defined by different technical
requirements depending on the type of structure, being monopile, jackets,
tripod, gravity-based or floating foundations. Every type requires specific or
dedicated equipment configurations to provide to the customer the most
optimized solution for its needs.

Such various and complex production types require a precise decisional
process to evaluate correctly all the variables, so it is of utmost importance
to find suppliers with highly experienced teams that can guide the manufacturer
to the most suitable solution.

Initial Project Evaluation

The most critical phase is to correctly define the production needs.
Many times, the desired production outcome collides with the real capacity of
the equipment available on the market. 
Therefore, assessing accurately the production needs against the real
capabilities of the equipment and the available budget is the first step to a
successful conclusion of the project. 

The reason wind power top players, from around the world choose Faccin
at the very initial phase of their new projects, is because the company does
not just act as a simple supplier; it works together with the customer as a
consultant and a partner in the project. Faccin Group’s consulting team is
always ready to share with the manufacturers, its long experience in the wind
energy business based on a continued and dedicated training on the wind
business trends, useful to evaluate the right investment considering the
worldwide market tendencies in the wind energy business, and technical and
commercial evaluation of the suitable solutions for the fabricator’s needs,
from a dedicated technical evaluation of the project to precise budgeting to
obtain the fastest ROI (return of investment).

Technical Evaluation of Production needs

After a detailed evaluation of the production needs, it’s important to
determine the right equipment to cope with most of the manufacturing
requirements. Different plate rolling machines, have pros and cons depending on
the rolling technology, accessories, structure, etc. so an accurate evaluation
of these details will give the best technical solution combined perfectly with
the fastest ROI.

Faccin Group has the largest range of products related to plate bending
machines that can fully satisfy any kind of needs regarding productivity,
capacities and budgets. In addition, it integrates 3 brands – Faccin, Roundo
and Boldrini – and more than 200 years of combined experience in the bending
world, the longest available on the market.

Furthermore, the company’s sales team is equipped to support the
manufacturers from the initial decision phase, providing from the beginning the
most critical technical and budgetary information, offering the possibility to
have a fair technical comparison between the different solutions available on
the market, and thus avoiding incorrect evaluation due to missing data.

Why Faccin Group?

Due to Faccin’s in-house production capabilities, the biggest available
on the market compared to any other plate rolling machine manufacturer, the
company can provide its customers with the most flexible production time and a
top level technical service, ready to support the fabricators through highly
experienced technicians and a vast spare part center dedicated to the
customer’s needs.

Customized
cost-effective solutions

‘Faccin’s
Wind Tower Automation System’ is designed to provide manufacturers with the
reliability, precision and automation required in this type of manufacturing
processes. The system can reach the floor to floor production time of 20min per
rolled tube. It combines a powerful super-sized plate-rolling machine with key
components like a strong side support, a sturdy top support and a feeding table
with alignment device, all accessories controlled by a highly advanced fully
programmable CNC designed to automate the most complex rolling projects.

Reliability,
speed and accuracy must go hand to hand with costs reduction, and the job
should be accomplished by a single operator using a CNC capable of controlling
automatically not only the machine but also the handling system.

Maximizing
Profits

Our highly
technological machines are designed to maximize the productivity; thus, the
profitability of the wind tower cans manufacturer. All this is achieved by a
precise and fast rolling machine, which helps reduce time in the following
steps of the wind tower assembly and welding, an oversized reliable structure
able to work 24/7 and a user-friendly CNC capable of handling automatically not
only the machine but also the handling system.

The high
level of supply availability and the lowest possible processing time is our
priority.

Installation
and training are always provided in order to develop our customers skills. It
allows them to operate confidently and independently in their day-to-day
business.

The Company

 “Faccin is proud to have already supplied
machines to the main players in Europe, USA and ASIA and to contribute to the
green energy production. The company strongly believes in the future of the
wind towers business onshore -particularly the offshore wind farms where the
use of plate bending rolls is essential.”

Learn more about us and discover our latest developments by visiting our website www.faccin.com