Siemens produces 1,000th blade
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Niels Kelter-Wesenberg remembers his arrival in Canada four years ago.
It was Feb. 5, 2011, and he had scheduled a visit to Siemens Canada's Tillsonburg Blade Manufacturing Facility the next day.
"It was, of course, nothing like it is today," said Kelter-Wesenberg, the plant manager, "but the building was here."
He also remembers how cold it was (-12 C), much like yesterday's -14 C.
"It's actually more or less the same today with this cold weather," he smiled. "But now I'm more prepared..."
Kelter-Wesenberg was speaking to some of Siemens' 405 Tillsonburg employees Thursday afternoon on the occasion of Siemens recently achieving a major milestone in its operations – the completion of the 1,000th blade produced at the factory, delivered in January.
"Looking at where we were at that point, and where we are today, we're more prepared today as well," said Kelter-Wesenberg. "When we started this journey, I couldn't imagine where we'd be today, and I feel extremely privileged to be part of this team here."
"On behalf of Samsung Renewable Energy, and our parent company Samsung C&T, I am very pleased to be here today to mark this great occasion," said Stephen Cho, vice president Samsung. "I am honoured to join Mayor (Stephen) Molnar, Mr. Robert Hardt, President and CEO of Siemens Canada... and all of the Siemens workers who made this day possible.
Together with their partners, Cho said Samsung is working to create the world's largest cluster of wind and solar power.
"Samsung is very, very proud to have partnered with Siemens. This investment is creating high skilled jobs that have benefited real people in this community. We have created over 1,100 manufacturing jobs here in Ontario. Over 400 out of them, right here in Tillsonburg.
"Continued renewable energy development is critical in protecting Ontario's green manufacturing sector and the jobs here in Tillsonburg."
As one of the largest employers in Tillsonburg – currently operating seven days a week, 24 hours a day – the factory operates continuously at capacity to support order backlog for the domestic market. This accelerated production highlights the positive impact that the Green Energy Act and the Green Energy Investment Agreement (GEIA) have made on Ontario’s manufacturing sector.
"On behalf of Municipal Council and the over 16,000 residents of the Town of Tillsonburg, it is a great pleasure to bring greetings today on the occasion of the production of the 1,000th blade at the Siemens Canada facility in our community," said Tillsonburg Mayor Stephen Molnar.
"From the time the municipality began negotiating with Siemens, right up until today, it has been a partnership built on a shared commitment to building a quality facility, while also building a stronger community," said Molnar.
"Siemens' investment in Tillsonburg is a great example of Tillsonburg's longstanding history of partnering with the private sector to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. Your success in Ontario has been a cornerstone for our community's growth and it has people excited about our future."
The Wind Power division of Siemens Canada employs more than 500 people, the majority of them at the 253,000-square-foot Tillsonburg facility situated on 40 acres of land, which was established in 2010 to manufacture wind turbine blades. The Tillsonburg blade facility manufactures 49-metre blades for the SWT-2.3-101 geared-drive platform and 55-metre blades for the SWT-3.2-113 direct-drive platform. In total, the 1,000 blades can generate enough electricity to power more than 230,000 Ontario homes per year. Blades produced in Tillsonburg are installed in Canadian wind farms and abroad.
Tillsonburg’s first blade, which shipped in the summer of 2013, was one of 372 used in the commissioning of South Kent, one of Canada’s largest wind farms and part of the 270 megawatts (MW) agreement between Siemens, Samsung Renewable Energy Inc. (Samsung), and Pattern Energy Group LP (Pattern Development) that came as a result of the GEIA. In the summer of 2013, more than 200 people were employed at the Tillsonburg facility, ramping up from about 140 employees in March 2013.
"Having Siemens here will help us entice more research and development opportunities," said Molnar, "and attract more people who will move to Tillsonburg or grow their businesses here.
"Another reason Siemens and Tillsonburg are such great partners is the strong relationship that developed... When you have a partnership, each has to understand the other's needs. Then you must be able to respond to those needs.
"However, beyond all the valuable partnerships, the fabrication of the 1,000th blade... the real power generated here is by the people. The valuable contributions made by your dedicated work force, throughout our community on a daily basis, are experienced on our playing fields, in our schools, in various service clubs, and in our retail sector. You are our coaches, our volunteers, and a considerable consumer element throughout Tillsonburg and our surrounding region."
In addition to manufacturing, Siemens also established its first Canadian wind turbine Service and Maintenance Distribution Centre in Chatham, Ont. in order to enhance its proximity to customer wind farms. The 12,000-square-foot warehouse stores commonly used wind turbine parts and serves as a training centre to develop and advance the technical and safety skills of the firm’s wind technicians.
The Canadian wind energy market is growing at a rapid rate and is now the ninth largest in the world, with a current installed capacity of approximately 9,700-MW. Siemens Canada is making a significant contribution to this growth, holding a leading position in the Ontario market with over 1,600-MW of installed capacity in the province.
"When you see this entire group of people coming together, and bring this vision into reality, I think it is something unique," said Robert Hardt, president and CEO of Siemens Canada. "Renewable energy is something which is under discussion a lot of times, but when you look now on the reality – especially in Ontario and also in other provinces – this is coming more and more. Then we look at the market opportunities for us... with innovative products that we are bringing to the market... it means a good, "bright future for the Tillsonburg facility.
"As Niels said, we are living the dream," said Hardt.
Globally, Siemens has five blade manufacturing facilities located in Canada, China, Iowa USA, and Denmark.
"First of all, let me also thank the Town of Tillsonburg for the extremely good collaboration we have had in this process," said Jacob Andersen, Head of Wind Power Renewables, Siemens Canada. "And also thank our partners.
"I also want to thank all of you," said Andersen, "all of the employees, here in Tillsonburg and also in Oakville, for making this happen. It's an enormous achievement. Of course, we need to find the milestones, and 1,000 blades is a good number to make, and celebrate what we have achieved together.
"We are very proud and excited to be celebrating the completion of our 1,000th blade today. In 2014, Siemens reached a 10-gigawatt installation milestone in the Americas, reaffirming our commitment to renewable energy, the competitiveness of wind power and continuous innovation.
"It makes a difference, and you make a difference."
“We feel an incredible amount of honor and pride in celebrating our 1,000th blade," said plant manager Kelter-Wesenberg. "We’re very proud to be home to Siemens Canada’s wind turbine manufacturing facility and are excited to continue to provide jobs and clean energy to Ontarians.”
About Siemens Canada
More than 4,500 employees in Canada work together to provide answers that last in the fields of electrification, automation and digitalization. Since it was federally chartered in 1912, Siemens has stood for innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. Sales for Siemens Canada in fiscal 2014 (ended September 30), were $2.7 billion CAD. The company has 39 offices and 12 manufacturing/assembly facilities across Canada. Further information is available at www.siemens.ca.