A breakthrough investment of the Gdańsk Shipyard Group
GSG Towers – a Gdańsk Shipyard Group company – launched a key investment in the field of manufacturing wind towers and steel structures for the offshore industry. State-of-the-art machinery to bend, weld and paint wind towers and steel structures double the existing manufacturing capacity. The investment launch ceremony was attended by, among other guests, Deputy Minister of Maritime Economy and Inland Navigation – Paweł Brzezicki, Vice President of Gdańsk – Andrzej Bojanowski and Auxilliary Bishop of the Gdańsk Archdiocese – Rev. Zbigniew Zalewski PhD.
In recent years, GSG Towers has implemented an extensive investment programme of a total worth of PLN 160 million. The launch of the investment introduces the leader in the industry of manufacturing onshore towers and large-scale steel structures into the elite group of manufacturers of structures for the most promising market, namely the offshore wind turbines market. The completed investment will translate into an increase of the annual production capacity of wind towers to 300 towers of a diameter of 8 m, and the potential to manufacture towers from 120 mm-thick steel sheets with a single section up to 50 m in length.
“The onshore and offshore energy markets demonstrate immense demand and growth potential, and as a result of this investment the Gdańsk Shipyard Group will become one of the largest manufacturers of wind towers for this market in Europe. Thanks to state-of-the-art production lines, we will soon achieve the status of the supplier of choice for comprehensive solutions for the offshore wind energy industry”, said Jarosław Łasiński, the CEO of SG Towers and Stocznia Gdańsk S.A. “A team of experienced professionals who warrant the professional execution of the most technologically advanced projects has always been a solid foundation and the greatest merit of GSG. This is why the professional development of the employees of the Gdańsk Shipyard Group has been an essential element of the investment programme. Our production crew has been perfecting their professional competence as part of the training conducted at the Academy of Development of the Gdańsk Shipyard Group”, he added.
A breakthrough investment of GSG
- The investment permits the production of the largest onshore and offshore wind towers
- Production capacity: 300 towers annually
- The length of a single section: up to 50 m (depending on the project)
- Rolling sheets of a thickness of 120 mm
- Tower sections weighing up to 200 tonnes
- Tower diameter increases from 6 to 8 m (!)
- High-tech infrastructure with a linear production flow
- The highest potential of anti-corrosive treatment in Poland
State-of-the-art GSG machinery
Super roller
A hydraulic, four-roller rolling machine is one of the most modern and most effective machines used to roll thick plates for the onshore and offshore industries. The rolling machine permits the rolling of plates of a thickness of up to 120 mm and 8 m in diameter.
Automatic welding lines
State-of-the-art lines to weld wind towers and cylinder and conical elements consist of a set of column and boom welding manipulators and an assembly station. These lines permit the production of elements (sections) up to 8 m in diameter and a thickness of up to 120 mm, weighing up to 200 tonnes.
Maintenance and paint hall
The state-of-the-art maintenance and painting hall is a unique place where wind towers and large-scale steel structures undergo the surface finishing process. The process of cleaning, metallization and painting of steel surfaces is enhanced by the advanced steering and control technologies ensuring the right temperature, humidity, the safety of staff and the natural environment.
The Gdańsk Shipyard Group currently employs approx. 1,000 people. In line with the plan to develop production capacity, the number of employees will be increased. What this means, is that the company will increase its headcount by another 300-400 employees within the next two years.