APQP4Wind becomes a self-supporting organization
A high degree of quality is quintessential in the global wind industry, and the focus is only set to increase, as wind turbines are required to produce more and cheaper energy. Seen from this perspective it seems only logical to uniform quality standards and make life easier for suppliers, wind turbine manufacturers (OEMs) and energy companies active in the wind industry. However, until only recently standards have varied from one OEM to another and the focus on quality control has trumped quality assessment.
With APQP4Wind this has changed. And what started as an idea in Wind Denmark (formerly known as the Danish Wind Industry Association) and with several leading wind industry players has today taken the next big step forward. Only two years after the official launch of APQP4Wind and its advanced quality assessment workbook, the project is now on its way to becoming a self-supporting organization. Officially starting as its own entity from January 2019.
”I am very pleased with the work that has been taking place in APQP4Wind over the past few years. It serves as a good example of what Wind Denmark wants to contribute to and I look forward to contributing in the coming time as APQP4Wind becomes more self-supporting,” says Jan Hylleberg, CEO of Wind Denmark, who has facilitated APQP4Wind so far.
And Jan Hylleberg is not the only one who is positive about the development APQP4Wind has undergone. Also, Mads Lebech, CEO of The Danish Industry Foundation, who has played a big role in the upstart and financing of the project, is pleased:
“Companies with high productivity, exports and growth are also companies that apply standards. By supporting this project the Foundation wanted to contribute to the intensification of Danish companies’ work with standards in Danish companies and it is therefore positive that the new standard has been well received by the industry.”
Henning Bach Jokumsen, Senior Specialist from Vestas Wind Systems and chairperson in APQP4Wind, thanks to Wind Denmark for the excellent cooperation and the Danish Industry Foundation for the funding.
"Without their great support and excellent cooperation between the members of the APQP4Wind Board of Directors, we would not have reached such excellent results within such short time," says Jokumsen and points to the fact that 2,100 manuals have been distributed since 2017 and 877 individuals have been trained and certified in APQP4Wind.
APQP4Wind is evolving
Today, GE Renewable Energy’s Onshore Wind business officially joined APQP4Wind, meaning that the large OEM will start rolling out the APQP4Wind standard across its network of suppliers.
Read more: GE joins APQP4Wind
Kim Nedergaard Jacobsen, General Manager, has been a part of the APQP4Wind project since the very beginning. He, also, is excited by the progress the project has had but thinks that there is still progress to be made:
“APQP4Wind is evolving rapidly and in different ways. On the one hand, we are becoming increasingly more global and will soon be operating in both Mexico and India. On the other hand, with GE Renewable Energy’s Onshore Wind Business joining the project, we got “the big 3” OEMs in the market, and as in big game hunting, we would in the future like to work with more.”
Kim Nedergaard Jacobsen elaborates:
“APQP4Wind becomes increasingly more valuable the more players are ascribing to it throughout the value chain. Because of this, it is of vital importance that both OEMs, suppliers, and customers are part of the project now, as well as in the future.”
As of now, the Board of Directors consists of LM Wind Power, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, KK Wind Solutions, Vestas Wind Systems, and GE Renewable Energy.