When Global Becomes Local
Commitment to Customer Helps Advance Wind Power Resource
The quest to harness renewable nergy sources is truly global in scope, which means the companies supporting those technologies
must also have a global footprint. But,
regardless of how successful a company may be in its home market, replicating that success in other parts of
the world is still a complex undertaking.
The technologies may be global, but
the challenges of manufacturing, selling and servicing those technologies
are purely local.
In this kind of environment, the idea
of customer support can take on a
number of meanings well beyond the
traditional supplier/customer relationship. The cooperative effort between
HINE S.A. of Guipúzcoa, Spain, and
Eaton Corporation to create a U.S.
manufacturing operation in record time
is an excellent example of what can be
accomplished under this new definition.
“HINE is a world leader in hydraulic
systems and pitch controls for wind turbines,” explains Gary Stevens, Eaton’s
Mid-Atlantic sales manager for its hydraulics business. “HINE’s systems
control the pitch, or angle, at which the
turbine blades meet the air, which is a
key to keeping the rotational speed of
the turbine constant as the wind velocity changes.
“Actually,” Stevens continues, “HINE
is one of Eaton’s largest European
distributors, wind turbine controls are
only one aspect of its business, albeit a large and growing one. They
also supply hydraulics for solar and
wave-powered generation systems,
iron and steel production, paper and
wood industries, and for food processing equipment.
to keep the system in balance. The use
of electronically-controlled proportional
valves simplifies the task of balancing
control outputs because it allows individual valves to be adjusted precisely
so that each manifold delivers identical
performance.
HINE uses Vickers series
proportional valves.
THE VALVES
HINE uses Vickers
KBFDG4V3/5 series proportional valves with on-board electronics in its
pitch control manifolds.
These valves feature an advanced asymmetrical spool design, plug-and-play electronics,
CANbus compatibility, and IP 65
and 67 rated protection against moisture and contamination. HINE also
uses Vickers screw-in cartridge-type valves in their pitch control
manifolds.
Pitch control is a dynamic process that uses a separate hydraulic manifold for each blade. Uniform
valve performance is critical because
the blades must all be equally loaded
EUROPE TO CHINA TO THE U.S.
Colin Cooper, Eaton’s European global
industrial platform manager, introduced
Stevens to Lander Guibelalde, the executive in charge of HINE’s renewable
energy businesses. That meeting, and
subsequent discussions about several
renewable energy projects with which
Stevens was involved, led directly to
a later request for Stevens to assist
HINE in setting up their North American
manufacturing operation.
“HINE’s major customer for pitch control systems is Europe’s biggest supplier
of wind turbines, and a major player on
the global scene,” Stevens explains.
“Their first major expansion outside of
the European market was the establishment of a production capability in China
to support their wind turbine customer.
“So, when it came time to set up
their North American facility, both HINE
and Eaton had some positive experience on which to draw,” Stevens says.
“Since HINE’s customer had recently
set up manufacturing in the U.S., they
needed an operation here to support
them in the U.S. market – and they
needed it quickly.”
HINE’s Chinese experience had
clearly demonstrated the huge difference between doing business in a
country as an importer, and establishing a physical manufacturing presence
there. They were aware of the many issues ranging from tax laws to employee
