In the last week of September Combilift welcomed over 120 journalists from the international trade media as well as dozens of global product managers, customers and dealers to its HQ and manufacturing facility in Monaghan to celebrate the company’s 25th anniversary. Visitors were taken on extensive factory tours where they could see new products in action and meet employees in the various departments who outlined their specific areas of expertise. There was also the opportunity to get an insight into the reasons behind Combilift’s global success with a Q&A with Combilift’s CEO and co-founder Martin McVicar.
As the largest global manufacturer of multidirectional trucks, articulated forklifts and straddle carriers, Combilift also announced its move into the offshore wind sector with the launch of a new product designed to meet the load handling demands of largescale offshore wind manufacturers.
As the green energy sector sees a surge in larger wind turbine components, including towers and blades, Combilift joined forces with industry leaders to engineer safe, stable and efficient lifting and storage solutions across its supply chain.
The Combi-LC was designed in collaboration with Siemens Gamesa, one of the world’s largest offshore wind suppliers, and the first company to leverage the new technology by signing a multi-million order for a number of these bespoke Load Carriers. The Combi-LC allows for the movement of wind turbine blades and towers – some as long as 115m and weighing in at around 70t, through production stages and on to storage locations – which can sometimes be as far as 5km apart.
The concept of bespoke Load Carriers [patent pending design] is based on two fully customisable remote-control units with low-level chassis beds that can work in tandem master and slave operation, with dimensions and wheel configurations that vary according to load type and weight. Combilift is in active discussions with other offshore wind companies with similar demands, and expects to generate over €50m in revenue per year in this market segment by 2026.
Josh Moffett, Heavy Equipment Manager at Combilift: “We are thrilled to have launched the new product Combi-LC, and we hope it will act as a gateway for us to further progress within our venture into the wind energy sector. The scale of offshore wind projects around the world leads to a very unique set of challenges, one of which being the ability to transport the very large components that make up a wind turbine. The product is specifically made to order and therefore can be uniquely customised to fit specific applications.”
Michael Woods – Head of Offshore Equipment Operations at Siemens Gamesa: “Seeing the new LC Blade mover in the flesh is impressive, it is fantastic to see it come from design to fruition, the manoeuvrability and functionality looks great, and we can’t wait to get it onsite.”
Martin McVicar – Managing Director of Combilift: “We have a track record of innovation at Combilift. We invest 7% of our revenue annually in R&D and today is the culmination of many years’ hard work. We are delighted to be continuing this tradition of innovation 25 years on. Now employing over 800 people in Monaghan and 200 people in other locations across the world, the success of Combilift is testament to our people, our customers and our supporting dealers around the world. We are looking forward to the next 25 years at Combilift!”
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