Performed by the crew of a giant Antonov AN-225 freight aircraft, Geodis Wilson has managed the transportation of two brand new wind turbine blades of its customer LM Wind Power. With a length of 42.1 metres the blades are claimed to be the longest cargo pieces ever flown by an aircraft. Geodis Wilson is one of the logistics providers of LM Wind Power, supplying rotor solutions to numerous wind turbine manufacturers in all main markets worldwide. The two transported prototype blades were produced for a new type of wind turbine that extends the possibility of efficient generation of clean energy.
Frank V. Nielsen, Chief Technology Officer, commented: Our new GloBlades are a fantastic step forward, conceived and developed by a global team of designers based in Denmark and Holland. The new blade type will help the wind farm developers take wind energy to new heights. These blades ensure reliable, clean electricity in lower wind areas for turbines at 1.5-1.7 MW.
Geodis Wilsons Industrial Projects division has built up a specialist team to handle wind energy logistics. This transportation involved a full turn-key operation including inland transportation from the LM Wind Power manufacturing plant in Tianjin to Tianjin Airport, China, intricate loading onto the AN-225, customs clearance, supervision of unloading and final delivery from the Skrydstrup Vojens Danish Military Airport (SKS), the only Danish airport capable of handling this large move.
Our activities in the wind energy sector are well known in the market, but the move of these prototype blades of LM Wind Power allowed us to conquer a new level of complexity, explained Global Manager Wind Energy Projects, Henrik Funk. Philippe Somers, Senior Vice President of Geodis Wilson Industrial Pojects adds: The fact that we have an established network presence in both China and Denmark, along with a dedicated air charter division, on-site expertise and technical support in this sector, certainly helped us to successfully manage this move for and together with LM Wind Power and Antonov Airlines.
About Geodis Wilson and the Geodis Group
Geodis Wilson is a global freight management company. With 5,700 employees in more than 50 countries the company delivers tailor-made, integrated solutions to customers enabling them to operate as best in class. Geodis Wilson manages cargo across five continents by sea and air, making supply chains transparent and flexible to manage. Geodis Wilson is the freight forwarding arm of Geodis Group which became part of the French rail and freight group SNCF in 2008. With its 46.000 employees in 120 countries SNCF GEODIS ranks among the top seven companies in its field in the world, is no.4 in Europe and no. 1 in France.
About LM Wind Power
LM Wind Power produces blades on or close to major wind markets to ensure local delivery of high quality, competitive blades. The GloBlades will be manufactured first in the Chinese market due to firm contracts with customers in this high growth market. During the coming months prototypes will be supplied to a number of Western and Chinese customers including companies like Envision and Goldwind. The first wind turbine powered by GloBlades will be erected in July this year. To ensure their durability, new LM Wind Power blades are tested in prototype form in full scale test facilities in Denmark. The two GloBlades arriving from China have transparent gelcoat instead of the usual white surface. This enables our engineers to see how the materials perform when put through the harsh tests. The LM Wind Power Group comprises LM Wind Power Blades (former LM Glasfiber), LM Wind Power Service and Logistics (a newly established operation) and Svendborg Brakes, acquired in 2009.
Antonov Airlines AN-225
The An-225 belongs to Antonov Airlines and is based in Kiev. The plane has a nose loading ramp and kneeling undercarriage that allow it to easily load outsized and wheeled cargo. The plane was designed for the Soviet space programme. The sole existing An-225 can carry heavy and oversized freight weighing up to 275 U.S. tons and single pieces up to 231 U.S. tons. The plane has transported project cargo including locomotives and 150-ton generators, and has also been part of many humanitarian relief programs.
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