“Realising the ambitions of offshore wind energy is a major challenge.
During the detailed engineering phase, Aerolift demonstrated both an innovative mindset and the capability to keep thinking along with us.
Most of our plant is non-standard, and as our internal processes evolved, so did our requirements.
Over the course of a year, our project teams held weekly online meetings, allowing us to consistently take the next step forward together.”
To support the production of monopile foundations for the offshore wind industry, Sif Netherlands BV (Sif) wanted to build a new factory hall at Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte 2 to expand its existing plant. To remain competitive in the market, the factory needed processes and machinery that were fundamentally different from the standard. This involved moving and positioning their large steel cans and cones. It had to be safer and more efficient than existing conventional methods. To develop and produce the necessary lifting solutions, they collaborated closely with Aerolift Industrials.
As a sister company of Aerolift Industrials, MHZ Machinery in Twente produces their lifting solutions. During the development and production phases, Aerolift customers visit MHZ regularly. On this day, a delegation from Sif is present to conclude a successful project informally. Jeroen Kaarsemaker (Director of Process & Equipment), Dennis Tielens (Project Manager), and Luc De Proost (Technical Advisor) are happy to share their experience about the cooperation with Aerolift and MHZ.
“To remain a global leader, we aim to be safer, better, and more efficient than our competitors. Achieving that demands a completely new approach. Until recently, our cans and cones were manufactured at our Roermond facility and then transported to Maasvlakte 2 for assembly. But as these components continue to grow in size, transporting them has become increasingly impractical. That’s why we decided to build a new production hall at Maasvlakte 2, allowing us to roll and weld cans and cones directly on-site. As a project team, we had to reconsider our entire setup—evaluating which processes and equipment to retain, and where changes were necessary.”
“One of the key challenges we faced was finding a better way to move large, heavy steel plates. Since we had known Aerolift, we invited them early on to contribute ideas. At the same time, we invited four other well-known suppliers to help develop and build two grippers that could handle the enormous weight of the cans and cones. This solution had to go beyond anything currently available in terms of both safety and efficiency. After several technical sessions, we narrowed the field to two suppliers we fully trusted to deliver what we needed.”
“Following the concept phase and initial budget estimates from the two shortlisted suppliers, we felt best about Aerolift when looking at the overall picture. During the detailed engineering phase, Aerolift demonstrated both an innovative mindset and the capability to keep thinking along with us. As our internal processes evolved, our requirements changed too, and they adapted accordingly. After all, most of our plant is non-standard. Over the course of a year, our project teams held weekly online meetings, allowing us to consistently take the next step forward together.”
“We also had an additional request for three C-hooks to easily move the produced cans and cones. Again, all kinds of extra wishes came up during the process, and Aerolift engineers kept thinking along with us. Their advice was consistently valuable, and the C-hooks were adjusted to meet our needs in terms of safety and functionality.”
“The final grippers developed for this project are truly one of a kind, and even include smart automation. For example, the gripper automatically adjusts itself depending on the can or cone it needs to lift. Realising the ambitions of offshore wind energy is a major challenge. Aerolift innovative solutions help us do that. In the meantime, we have already successfully produced the first monopiles in our new production hall.”
“The project is finished for us, but we’re already working on something new. With our knowledge and experience, we’re helping GS Entec, a Korean partner of Sif. They’ll be using the same processes and equipment as we do. Because of the good and close cooperation with Aerolift, we naturally brought them on board for this project too.”
Are you also looking for a lifting solution to move steel plates, cans or heavy structural parts quickly, safely and efficiently? Feel free to contact us. We’d be glad to think along.
