Frimley, 2012-Dec-14
Siemens has been working with Lex Autolease and Qi Van Systems to design the new vehicles. The aim was to design a “fit for purpose” vehicle for use in the field by service technicians working on wind farms. As part of their work, service technicians are required to move between the turbines and site office, often relatively short distances, several times a day. Such journeys are fuel intensive and also relatively costly per journey. The joint team made up of industry experts, field based technicians and site management was keen to include features that would meet the needs of technicians, whilst at the same time provide a sustainable and efficient transport solution.
Eco-friendly vehicles for wind farm technicians
Commenting on the project, Richard Luijendijk, director of Siemens Service Renewables UK and Ireland, said: “Siemens has a strong focus on sustainable transport, including the introduction of electric vehicles into its fleet and other incentives to improve its carbon footprint. In this key project we were focused on achieving environmental and efficiency benefits, to help reduce carbon emissions, the cost of vehicle per mile and overall running costs. Safety was also a primary consideration, as well as meeting all commercial vehicle legal and customer requirements. Our work with Lex Autolease and Qi is just the start of innovation in this area - we will continue to evolve the design.”
The new vehicles include many special features to help improve efficiency as well as environmental impact and are designed to accommodate the specific operational needs of wind power service technicians. The vehicles are ergonomically designed to aid efficient operations while reducing chances of lifting injuries. The storage ‘pod’ and all other features have a life span designed to be re-used after the original vehicle has finished service. Vehicles include night heaters designed to keep the vehicle warm while technicians are working in the turbine to remove the damp build up of wet kit and tools - all of which is done in a sustainable manner, without the engine running. Special safety and anti-theft features are also built into the vehicles, such as speed restrictors, vehicle trackers and 360° imbedded hazard warning flashing LED lights. The entire unit also meets the up coming changes in the law for crash testing.
Stuart Patterson from QI Van Systems said: “This was a really great project to work on. Lex and Siemens presented a very demanding set of objectives that had to be achieved and Qi worked closely with both parties to develop a clear understanding how these objectives could best be met. This was a real “ground up” process that involved Siemens vehicle operators, Siemens management and senior Lex personnel discussing with Qi an outline brief through to prototyping and full-scale conversion to vehicle design.”
Siemens will initially roll out 50 new vehicles, with an additional 70 vehicles to be retrofitted to meet all above requirements and the change in the Road Traffic Act, which will come into force in April 2013. Siemens is also exploring other areas where innovation in design can help improve operations, such as warehousing and distribution and site stores distribution.
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Notes to editors:
About Siemens in the UK:
Siemens was established in the United Kingdom 169 years ago and now employs around 13,520 people in the UK. Last year’s revenues were £3.2 billion*. As a leading global engineering and technology services company, Siemens provides innovative solutions to help tackle the world’s major challenges, across the key sectors of energy, industry, infrastructure & cities and healthcare. Siemens has offices and factories throughout the UK, with its headquarters in Frimley, Surrey. The company’s global headquarters is in Munich, Germany. For more information, visit www.siemens.co.uk
* Data includes intercompany revenue. Data may not be comparable with revenue reported in annual or interim reports.
For more information contact:
Rachel Odams
Siemens plc
Tel: +44 (0)1604 696 614
Mobile: +44 (0)7808 824209
Email: rachel.odams@siemens.com
