A wind of change is blowing in Supply Chain

Sustainable energy is becoming a must-have and no longer a nice-to-have. End-users, manufacturers, suppliers and logistics customers- everybody wants it and now also expect it from their partners. The big issue however is that the renewable energy market is under pressure to reduce costs by as much as 40% to be more commercially viable. The right logistics partner might be just the answer.

The wind farm industry is big business – not just in size of the turbine blades that have grown from a ‘mere’ 40m long 10 years ago to a staggering 107m in length at present. Then consider moving a 450-ton nacelle from A to B, and it is no surprise that transportation has become a serious – and potentially expensive and risky – logistical problem.

Safe transport and handling of enormous yet delicate equipment is not for everyone. It requires skills and expertise at a high level to plan and navigate around these obstacles with precision and within a tight schedule. There is no room for errors and no margin for extra costs. In fact, it is more likely required to cut costs without compromising quality, security or time.

Time is money

Wind farms are bought on a tight budget and an even tighter installation schedule. Any delay has serious repercussions further along the supply chain. In short: Time is money.

Inaccessible roads, for instance, or an unexpected port authority regulation that may result in the next stage of the process being delayed is not acceptable. And it should not be. It is possible to plan ahead and avoid trouble. At Scan Global Logistics we know so, because we do so - on a daily basis.

Planning is (almost) everything
When dealing with large industry installations it is crucial to choose a logistics provider with the experience to foresee every problem, and the expertise to prepare for every eventuality. At Scan Global Logistics, this is exactly what we do. We know that preparation and planning is half of winning the battle and Scan Global Logistics meticulously analyze, plan and execute to ensure that we deliver as promised. Period!

When we take on a project, we follow up on every detail. We find out what the port regulations are, which vessels are best, what the roads are like, which trucks are appropriate, what their maximum axle pressure is, which bridges can support their weight, and everything else besides. And we have extensive contingency plans if anything for some odd reason should not go according to plan A.

Tried, tested and with a 30% cost reduction

When we say we deliver, we mean it - and we can prove it. We were recently put to the test assisting in the largest single vessel blade shipment of blades to date. The project we carried out was for a leading global provider within the wind turbine industry who needed a staggering number of 198 turbine blades delivered within a limited time frame from one continent to another.

We were able to achieve this using a single vessel – resulting in a new world record and a impressive 30% reduction in the shipping costs.

We are constantly researching new ways to reduce costs and transportation times with simpler, more reliable and issue-free solutions. With transportation in average representing 7% of a wind farm project’s overall costs, the right logistic partner becomes truly valuable.