ITW Polymers Europe - Danish specialist's high performance grout now in more than 2000 offshore turbines

ITW Polymers Europe manufactures ultrahigh performance grout Ducorit for special purposes such as offshore and onshore wind turbine foundations. At the end of May, the Ducorit grout became a crucial structural component in turbine foundation no. 2000. This is considered a milestone for the Danish wind industry, which in later years has gained an important position in the international market.

During the past 14 years, ITW Polymers Europe (previously Densit) has specialised in the production and installation of especially developed Ducorit, an ultrahigh performance cementitious based material for grouting offshore wind turbine connections. It is a niche, and the company holds a unique position: - "Our main product, Ducorit, is developed based on the experience, we have collected during our many years in the wind industry", says Marketing Manager Karina Højgaard from ITW’s wind division, ITW WindGroup. "In the offshore sector, our ultrahigh performance grout is primarily used to assemble the wind turbine foundation, - as it usually consists of a steel pile driven into the seabed and a transition piece slid onto or into the pile where the space between pile and transition piece is grouted with Ducorit. Our greatest strength – besides being able to deliver the ultrahigh performance grout – is that we deliver a turnkey grouting solution including i.e. project management, planning, equipment, highly skilled supervisors to perform the installation as well as test sampling and documentation. This means that safety and quality are natural and high prioritized parts of a project, an essential competitive factor in the wind industry, and the product only becomes more relevant as turbines grow larger and heavier".

ITW WindGroup has no direct competition, as no other company offers the same concept including product, equipment and installation of the product, but focus solely on parts of the solution. This is probably one of the reasons why 72 % of all offshore wind turbines in Europe contain Ducorit grout as a crucial element.

Last week, foundation no. 2000 was grouted successfully with Ducorit at the offshore wind farm of Westermost Rough 8 km off the coast of Yorkshire, and more companies within the wind industry do agree upon the fact that a unique milestone has been reached:

"ITW WindGroup is one of the Danish companies, which as a specialised supplier to the international wind industry has helped Denmark secure a unique position," says Project Manager at the industry organisation Hub North, Henrik Wadmann. "Having helped to install more than 2000 offshore wind turbines is a completely unique performance." This means that the company has been in the industry since the very beginning. Years of experience and the know-how that comes with it are what characterise Danish companies and continue to give them a unique, international market position, which has not yet been challenged by copycats. There is no shortcut to experience, and this may be the most important USP for Danish wind companies in an international context.

He is supported by Jan Pedersen, Chief Specialist of DONG Energy Wind Power: "DONG Energy has, to our full satisfaction as to the product’s quality and project management, used Ducorit as well as ITW’s installation services on a number of offshore wind farms. This is a very important milestone for ITW, and we congratulate them".

Facts about Westermost Rough:

• The project is owned by DONG Energy and is one of two offshore wind farms erected by DONG Energy in Great Britain – to be finished in 2015.
• The wind farm will comprise 35 offshore turbines of 6 MW.
• The turbines cover a total area of 35 km2 and will supply enough power for 200,000 homes.

About ITW WindGroup/ITW Polymers Europe:

ITW WindGroup and ITW Polymers Europe is part of a division of ITW (Illinois Tool Works). ITW is one of the world’s most diversified industrial companies, with a sales turnover in 2013 of USD 18 billion. Established in 1912, today ITW employs over 50,000 people worldwide. ITW’s companies manufactures and sells a variety of industrial products, and the brands Densit® and Ducorit® are sold through ITW Polymers Division Europe in cooperation with ITW WindGroup. www.itwwind.com

About Hub North:

Hub North originally sprung from a North Danish project designed to gather suppliers and subsuppliers to the wind industry in a professional network, but the organisation has now spread and has many member companies from other parts of Denmark. The purpose of Hub North is to promote, gather and strengthen the Danish wind industry in general by representing the interests of the industry. The Aalborg Cooperation is responsible for the project, which is also financed by the European Social Fund, the Port of Aalborg, Aalborg Business Council, FORCE Technology, Væksthus Nordjylland and Aalborg University. www.hubnorth.dk

For more information, please contact:

• Henrik Wadmann, Project Manager, Hub North, +45 25 20 15 84, hw@aalborg.dk
• Karina Højgaard, European Marketing Manager, ITW Wind Group, +45 40 17 71 04, khojgaard@itwwind.com