Anna-Karin RyanWhat attracted you to engage as an advisor with Sulzer Schmid?
When I first got to know Sulzer Schmid I was captivated by the team spirit and the innovative mindset to create a real change in our industry. I could see the potential in both their data capture process but also in the way customers are able to use this data and turn insights into action. Blades play a pivotal role for the performance of wind turbines and the importance of regular and efficient inspection and maintenance activities will continue to grow. The future will rely on autonomous drones to capture data and artificial intelligence to process it so we can make sense of it all.
What would you say are the biggest opportunities for the wind industry today?
The windfarms are getting bigger and with that we have a higher capital investment asset which needs to be maintained. Through digitalization and smart robotics, we can make wind as an energy source more cost efficient. Data driven asset management can ultimately improve the competitiveness of green energy and Sulzer Schmid can deliver a key element to this development with their autonomous inspections and powerful data analytics software.
Based on your experience, how do you think autonomous drones will continue to change the wind industry?
Autonomous drones are no longer a novelty and will without a doubt take over and become the main inspection method for both onshore and offshore windfarms within the near future. By analyzing the growing data treasure, OEMs as well as owners and operators will continue to optimize performance of the turbine, thus reduce maintenance cost and better plan repairs.
However, autonomous drones will also allow us to introduce a higher degree of automation in the actual repair of the blades. With an accurate position and description of a damage, robots will be able to automatically prepare and fix smaller repairs thus eliminate the need for people to access the blades in some cases. The automation of smaller repairs is already in development but long-term we expect to see also more complex repairs carried out this way.
What sets Sulzer Schmid aside from the competition?
Firstly, they have managed to make a complex process really simple and user-friendly, allowing this technology to be used by a wide range of owners and operators as well as the large OEMs. After just half a day of training a person can carry out high-quality, reliable and repeatable inspections using autonomous drones. Their flexible execution models make them the perfect partner for both companies who are starting out with their digitalisation and for those who are more experienced.
The biggest difference, however, is that Sulzer Schmid has realised that the real value lies in the data and that the autonomous drone is the tool to get it. For example, by using their powerful analytics software customers can get valuable insights on how different blades perform in certain environments and provide solutions to optimize the output accordingly. Predictive maintenance is just around the corner and will be a real milestone for the industry.
Finally, what are you looking forward to the most working with the Sulzer Schmid Team?
Seeing this technology moving forward as smarter and more automated processes are introduced is what I am looking forward to. The team at Sulzer Schmid is highly motivated and passionate about driving this development. It is great to be part of this and be able to contribute with my experience.