http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/RSS.ashxVestasInside PagesTue, 27 Oct 2009 09:07:29 +0100http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=1http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=1No. 4, 2009 A new beginning in Vestas Offshore Getting quality right Visiting the green energy island Tina and Maite’s tough decision2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=2http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=2The difficult choice Your workplace is moving 700 km to a different location – do you move with it? That was the question facing Tina Schäffner, when she and her colleagues were informed that their workplace was being moved to Madrid. Page 4 Vestas Offshore setting sail Recent months have seen plenty of encouragement for Vestas Offshore with new orders and the new V1123.0 MW turbine. Page 12 Passionate about Asia Five years of bustling Asian business life made a deep impression on Sean Sutton. He had to get back. Meet Vestas Asia Pacific’s new President. Page 16 Hello – and goodbye New employees join Vestas, while others seek new challenges elsewhere. We have talked to two employees to hear about how they made their decisions. Page 22 2 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=3http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=3Triple15 Today, we have set new targets for Vestas’ future. By 2015, Vestas must reach a turnover of 15 billion euro and reach earnings before interest and tax of 15 percent. Thus, we are calling these targets ‘Triple15’. Therefore, in six years, our company must be twice as large and even more profitable than we are today. We simply must reach these targets if we want to continue to lead the way in an industry where competitors are becoming larger and more professional, where supply is growing fast, and where customers naturally are expecting ever more of us. If we are not constantly developing and improving ourselves, in terms of professionalism, quality, and scale, then we are leaving the initiative to others. That is one thing we simply cannot do. So, it is crucial that everyone at Vestas knows exactly how each one of us can contribute to achieving these goals. By aligning departments and business units in Vestas, we are creating clearer roles and responsibilities, and we are structuring the company in a more uniform and transparent way. While the outline has been drawn, each one of us must consider how our efforts can produce the best results. Being busy in itself is not enough, we must be busy doing the right things, the things that will achieve Triple15 success. This requires each employee to focus and prioritise – likewise, it calls on all the leaders in Vestas to provide direction and lead by example. We will be working on bringing Triple15 to you in the coming months to ensure that we are taking the right steps forward throughout Vestas. Through combining our efforts, we must continue to lead the way in our industry, so we will be able to look back in 2015 and see that we have fulfilled our vision of making wind power an energy source on par with fossil fuels: Wind, Oil and Gas. Thank your for your efforts, and keep up the good work! Ditlev Engel President and CEO VestasInside 32009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=4http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=4The difficult choice Your workplace is moving 700 km to a different location – do you move with it? That was the question facing Tina Schäffner, when she and her colleagues were informed that their workplace was being moved to Madrid. “It came as quite a shock,” explains Tina Schäffner, Projects & Technology Assistant, with reference to a day in November 2008 she remembers very clearly. That was the day on which she and here colleagues at Vestas Mediterranean were informed of the decision to move the company headquarters from Barcelona to Madrid. The staff in Barcelona were all given the choice of moving with the company to the Spanish capital, or leaving Vestas. Tina’s boyfriend is from Barcelona and his son lives in the city. This meant that he could not move to Madrid straight away. “It was a tough decision. Like most of the others, I had to think it over for a while. It was particularly difficult because we had not been given much information about what the future in Madrid had to offer,” she relates. The employees affected had until 1 April this year to make up their minds. “It was good of Vestas to give us so much time, but that also meant that it has been a hard year,” says Tina. “It has been very difficult for those employees who will not be moving to Madrid to keep their motivation up. The atmosphere has been strained, and there has been a lot of talk about the future.” The capital awaits After weighing up the pros and cons, Tina made her decision: she will be moving with Vestas to the Spanish capital. “My main reason for going is that I really enjoy working for Vestas. It is a work- place that gives me excellent opportunities to learn and develop,” she explains. The decision means that she will spend her weekdays living and working in Madrid, travelling back to Barcelona on weekends. “It will be difficult, and I feel that I am stepping out into the unknown,” she says. As from 1 November, her desk will be in Madrid – far from her boyfriend and friends. But also a good distance from the pressure that has distinguished the past year. “I love Barcelona, so I cannot say that I am really looking forward to moving. On the other hand, I am looking forward to us finding motivation in our new surroundings.” 4 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=5http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=5Tina Schäffner will be moving with Vestas to Madrid … while Maite Sanchez Casares has chosen to remain in Catalonia and continue her career away from Vestas. Family came first Maite Sanchez Casares will soon be looking for a new job – because while Vestas is moving to Madrid, she has decided to remain in Barcelona, the city of her childhood. At the end of the year, it will be all over. After two years working for People & Culture at Vestas Mediterranean, Maite Sanchez Casares will be parting company with Vestas. Or perhaps it is the other way round: Vestas is leaving Barcelona while Maite remains behind. “There were all kinds of reasons to make the move: my great colleagues and the exciting challenges before us in People & Culture, to name but two. But at the end of the day, other factors carried more weight,” she says. Maite was born and raised in Barcelona, and with a husband, a daughter and parents whose lives are firmly rooted in the city, a move to the Spanish capital was not for her. “It was a very difficult decision that I thought about a great deal and dis- VestasInside 52009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=6http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=6cussed with my family. After all, there are also financial consequences linked to staying behind,” she relates. Just like all her colleagues – both those who have chosen to move to Madrid, and those who have decided not to – Maite will be paid compensation. However, she will still have to look for a new job after her years with Vestas. “It is a shame to have to say goodbye to something you really love, and in the future I may well think about what might have happened if I had moved with the company to Madrid. But you have to make a decision and then stand by it,” says Maite, who – along with her colleagues – has had almost a year to think about her future prospects. “Right after we were told the news, there was naturally a period of strong reactions – both anger and frustration – among the staff, and moving on from that day to today has been a long, tough process. To make it through, it was really important for me to concentrate on the tasks I have had to deal with here at the office,” explains Maite. As a member of the People & Culture staff, she herself has been heavily involved in the work to ensure a good conclusion for everyone at the Barcelona office. “To be honest, I do not feel that I have had time to think a lot about the future and to lose my motivation. When we are finished here, I will certainly miss it, though – especially my great colleagues.” 6 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=7http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=7Making the move i Moving the headquarters of Vestas Mediterranean from Barcelona to Madrid is a tough decision – but a necessary one, believes President Juan Araluce. ins defacts • The decision to move the Vestas Mediterranean head office to Madrid means that the company will be positioned closer to a number of major Spanish and international customers, including the headquarters of EDF, EDP and Iberdrola. At the same time, the new location improves opportunities for a close dialogue with the Spanish government and other decision-makers. • The newly constructed building in Madrid, replacing four previous locations in Spain, can accommodate more than 600 employees and is located close to Madrid’s international airport. • Around half of the staff from the Barcelona office will be moving with the company to Madrid. The timeline • 18 November 2008: The move to Madrid is announced. • 30 March 2009: Deadline for employees to announce their decision. • September – December 2009: Employees moving location in three waves. “It will bring us closer to our customers, key decision-makers and major energy companies. And by having both Vestas Mediterranean and Vestas Iberia employees at the same location in one corporate building, it will be it easier to develop synergies and optimize our resources– even though they will remain two independent organizations,” says Juan Araluce. He expressed his regrets having to say goodbye to many good employees in Barcelona. “This move implies a big change for the employees and their families, and we completely respect the decision of employees who cannot, or do not want to, follow the company to Madrid.” “For us, the most important thing is to support each and everyone’s decision, whatever they choose to do,” says Juan Araluce. He explains that a dedicated support group has been formed in People & Culture, to help employees who are leaving Vestas and those moving to Madrid. Compensation has been agreed on for both groups, and a number of meetings have been held where employees have been able to express their concerns. That does not, however, change the fact that around half of the employees in Barcelona are not coming to Madrid. “We will lose both knowledge and experience, and that is a great pity and a challenge. We are doing what we can to ensure a smooth handover,” he says. He stresses that one of the reasons to allow a year for the process was to ensure a step-by-step hand-over of tasks. “This takes respect and understanding, both from those moving and those who are not. Our employees have handled it very well,” he says. VestasInside 72009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=8http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=8Turning right or wrong What do you do if one of your colleagues wants to share confidential information from his previous job with a competitor – and how do you handle discrimination at work? Those are some of the questions the new Code of Conduct will help answer. “It is also meant as a tool for employees faced with a difficult decision and is designed to help them make the right one – taking the right path at the crossroads most of us come across.” But what has changed to make the Code of Conduct necessary now? “Vestas has become a global company and the Code of Conduct ensures that we all know what the right thing to do is – and if we do not, we will know where to go,” Malin Stavlind says. The Code of Conduct a guide for dealing with dilemmas at work. It includes policies from how to handle bribery and discrimination to rules for giving gifts and following safety guidelines. EthicsLine In connection with the new Code of Conduct, the Whistleblowerconcept has been renamed to emphasise the advisory aspect. It is now called the EthicsLine. Besides submitting reports, the EthicsLine can be used to ask questions in regard to ethical issues. Speaking to your own manager or other internal support functions is often the best first step – but if that is not possible, EthicsLine is the place to turn. 8 VestasInside i “It can be difficult to manoeuvre between different customs and practises when you work for a global company like Vestas. We need a common ethical standard that you can always turn to, no matter where you work or who you are.” So says Malin Stavlind, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility, BU People & Culture about the new Vestas Code of Conduct. “Basically, it is a set of principles for ethical behaviour that all Vestas employees must adhere to in order to uphold Vestas’ reputation,” says Malin Stavlind. ins defacts2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=9http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=9“Our stakeholders have high expectations towards Vestas in regards to our products, how we produce them and how we behave. We must meet these expectations and work proactively to prevent any potential scandals. For instance we need to avoid the possibility of corruption which we know is a serious problem in most parts of the world. The Code of Conduct can help us do this,” says Malin Stavlind. • You will be introduced to the Code of Conduct by your manager during the next weeks. • A new Code of Conduct introduction e-learning course will be mandatory for everyone to complete. This will guide you on how to comply with the Code of Conduct, where to find more information and how to report issues when necessary. i The Code of Conduct – which will be made public – is also a way to show the outside world what to expect from Vestas. ins defacts • If you have any doubts about the proper action to take in a specific situation, you can seek advice from your manager, your local People & Culture department, the Legal department or Corporate Social Responsibility. If you feel uncomfortable about using any of these avenues, you can consult Vestas EthicsLine. • You can find more information about the Code of Conduct on the Corporate Social Responsibility intranet site. VestasInside 92009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=10http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=10What would you do? The Code of Conduct answers difficult questions that we might find ourselves faced with. We have asked three colleagues for their initial thoughts on some difficult questions. Tine Buch Olesen, Spare Parts Warehouse. You are responsible for hiring a company to help us with some e-learning solutions. You have a substantial investment in one of the companies we are considering for the job. What do you do? “First of all it would be hard not to take my own investment in to consideration. But even if I did not, afterwards people would be able to question the basis for my decision. So, I would avoid taking this decision.” ? ? ? Anders Hvashøj Pedersen, Vestas Excellence, Construction Excellence. You and your colleagues are about to install a wind turbine, but you have not managed to hire the type of crane you have been told to use. You crane supplier has recommended a slightly smaller crane, and says it will work perfectly. What do you do? “If I can not get a crane that meets the demands laid out by Vestas I would stop the work until we could get the specified crane. I would not care what the supplier says. It is Technology R&D who decides what kind of crane we use, no one else. Safety first, you know?” Chris Schwinghammer, Senior Accountant, Vestas Americas. Imagine that one of the people on your team has a speech impediment. He speaks in a strange way and some people make fun of him. What do you do? “First, I would tell the people making fun of him that this behaviour is not appropriate, and it is unwelcomed. If it continues I would notify P&C as the behaviour constitutes harassment and is negatively impacting the work environment.” The Code of Conducts states: Tell your manager, and pass on the responsibility of choosing a supplier to somebody else. Having an investment in the company could bias your judgment. 10 VestasInside ! ! ! The Code of Conduct states: You should never use a crane that differs from Vestas specifications, because that would compromise the safety of you and your colleagues. Stop work until you can get the right crane. The Code of Conduct states: You have several options. You could try talking to the people involved – peer pressure can often solve issues like this. You could raise your concerns with your manager or your People & Culture Department, who are trained to deal with such problems, or you could use the EthicsLine.2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=11http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=11Thomas won a weekend break – is it your Vestas turn next? Quiz How “green” is Vestas aiming to be in 2010? The question in last quarter’s issue of VestasInside asked about the ambitions for Vestas’ own energy consumption. The target for the total energy consumption at Vestas is 50 percent – but we asked about electricity consumption. Vestas is striving for 90 percent of its electricity to come from sustainable sources. A lot of people knew the answer, including prize winner Thomas Rasmussen, who works at the Vestas Blades warehouse in Lem, Denmark. Thomas can look forward to a weekend getaway for two for knowing how “green” Vestas wants to be in 2010. We have another weekend retreat to give to the winner of this issue’s quiz contest. – will it be you? Vestas is currently constructing the world’s largest tower factory in the United States,but in which state? a) Colorado b) Kansas c) Idaho Email your answer to vestasinside@vestas.com no later than 31 December 2009. The lucky winner will be announced in the next issue of VestasInside. VestasInside 112009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=12http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=12Vestas Offshore setting sail 12 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=13http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=13Recent months have seen plenty of encouragement for Vestas Offshore with new orders and the new V112-3.0 MW turbine. A sandbank 40 kilometers off the Belgian coastline may sound like a rather bleak place – but not for Vestas Offshore. Here on Bligh Bank, Vestas will supply, and later service, 55 V90-3.0 MW turbines. The order for the Bligh Bank Wind Farm, which was announced in July this year, was more than the first major offshore contract in a long time; it was a symbol of Vestas’ return to the offshore market. More good news followed in September when Vestas launched the V112-3.0 MW offshore turbine. Two very important pieces of news, claims Anders Søe-Jensen, President of Vestas Offshore. What does it mean to Vestas Offshore to have a new wind turbine on the market? “It means everything. My colleagues in Offshore are there because they live and breathe for the success of offshore wind energy, so it is obviously a huge boost for our morale to get a new product; we are proud to have such a competitive product to offer. Now, Vestas sells three different types of offshore turbines, which is more than any of our competitors. This means that we are not back on the market just to keep up – we want to lead the way in our industry.” ins defacts 30 July 2009: Vestas publishes an order for 55 V90-3.0 MW turbines for the Bligh Bank Offshore Wind Farm. This order is Vestas’ third largest offshore contract ever. 15 September 2009: Vestas launches the V112-3.0 MW turbine for offshore at the conference EWEC in Stockholm. Vestas has installed half of the world’s offshore wind power capacity, totalling more than 900 MW. The V112-3.0 MW is the third turbine in the offshore portfolio, which also includes the V90-3.0 MW and the V80-2.0 MW. i VestasInside 132009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=14http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=14What are Vestas’ biggest advantages? “We have strong, reliable, highly efficient turbines. We have a lot of experience. And we have knowledgeable staff who know offshore conditions very well. We are a mature player in what is still a young market.” Vestas has paid a high price for “lessons learned” offshore in the past. Are we ready for offshore projects now? “Yes. We have worked closely with Vestas Technology R&D; we have shared our knowledge and experience regarding the performance and on servicing the turbines. Together we are making sure the necessary improvements are in place to succeed.” How does the future look for Vestas Offshore? “Offshore success depends on our ability to deliver what customers demand, which is not necessarily the largest turbines. We must also give our customers the lowest cost of energy and business case certainty. In short, we need to deliver the best total package in terms of the quality of the turbines, turbine output, mean-time between inspections and operation, and maintenance performance.” What do the new orders and the new turbine mean to you? Ane Mette Lysbeck Carstensen, Service Sales Manager – Randers, Denmark “Despite the limited number of large orders in the last 12 months, people in the department have kept their spirits high. The new V112-3.0 MW justifies Vestas’ position in the offshore market and bodes well for the future of Vestas. Without new turbines, it would be difficult to get back into the offshore market.” Ian Gibson, Warehouse Coordinator – Barrow, Great Britain “Everybody has had to tighten their belts for the past twelve months. So, the new V112-3.0 MW is a big boost for us, especially these days. It is a step in the right direction, and it shows that Vestas is moving forward.” Anders Søe-Jensen, President Offshore. Marc Bull, Deputy Supervisor – Great Barrow, England “Here at our site, we are working with the V90-3.0 MW, which has had some problems. Today, our turbines are running well, but it has taken some continuous improvements. With the V112-3.0 MW, we now have a turbine that has been developed specifically for offshore conditions. And, I believe it will give Vestas more confidence in relation to our customers.” 14 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=15http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=15Scouting for wind Employees from three business units spent part of their summer in the company of scouts from more than 40 countries when the scout camp Blue Summer took place in Aabenraa, Denmark. In total, more than 19,000 Scouts attended the camp. The theme was climate, and Vestas was among the sponsors, so wind power played a key role in the activities, which included a wind tunnel allowing scouts to test the blade profiles they had designed. Some of the Vestas employees at the camp are active scouts, and all Vestas employees got the opportunity to share their knowledge on wind energy. An active approach Vestas is committed to following ten universal principles within human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. This was underlined in September when Vestas joined the United Nations Global Compact, a strategic policy initiative for companies wishing to do business on a sustainable basis. Other companies that have joined the Global Compact include L’Oreal, Volvo and Microsoft. Racing into the wind ’Wind cars’ built by students from six European universities were entered in September’s Wind Power Race in West Jutland, sponsored by Vestas. Stauning Airport’s tarmac was used for the race between the students’ custom-built vehicles that use wind to generate power. The winning team, Spirit of Amsterdam from Amsterdam’s Technical University, included parts from a glider and proved to be the most efficient and fastest of the cars. First prize was presented by President Søren Husted of Vestas Nacelles. VestasInside 152009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=16http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=16Passionate about Asia Five years of bustling Asian business life made a deep impression on Sean Sutton. He had to get back. Meet Vestas Asia Pacific’s new President. Sean Sutton was delighted when his previous employer first asked him if he was interested in working in Asia. “I thought ‘Great! Hong Kong! Singapore!’ Then they told me I was going to Seoul – and I had to reach for the atlas,” recalls the native Australian with a chuckle. Skilful turnaround The next three years in Korea, followed by two more in Hong Kong, proved a turning point in Sean’s career. During this time, he turned around struggling local businesses within the global Siemens organisation, winning awards for profitability and customer focus. These work successes were the ticket to a new position as Global Head of Siemens Building Automation Solutions in Switzerland. But, by then, Asia had got right under Sean’s skin. Just 18 months later, the opportunity arose to join Vestas as President of Vestas Asia Pacific in Singapore. He grabbed it. At home in Asia “I enjoy the business environment in Asia,” Sean says. “It’s exciting here because the potential is so huge and the range of cultures so broad. There’s lots of activity, and it keeps going 24 hours a day.” One of the many tasks that has kept Sean busy in his first months at Vestas is his focus on bringing Vestas Asia together as a more cohesive business unit. “As a business unit, we are a cluster of small businesses,” he says. “What we have been trying to understand is where we connect as a business unit and what the responsibilities are in each country. We are now taking some clear steps to implement that.” While at work he aims to create closer ties within the region, in his private life Sean appreciates being closer to family. With Sean an Australian and his wife, SunKyong, from Korea, a location in Singapore gives relatively easy access to relatives on both sides. Since they 16 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=17http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=17Tough but rewarding Targeting segments and customers remain top priorities for Sean as President of Vestas Asia Pacific. The rapid switch from seller’s to buyer’s market has, today, made customer loyalty an even more crucial factor that he is committed to building up. “The goal is for more of our business to be repeat business from major accounts. The customer benefit is that we reduce the transaction cost and improve the quality of each project by tailoring solutions around customer needs,” he comments. became the proud parents of twin boys – brothers to SunKyong’s 10-year-old son – family is an even more important consideration. “In Switzerland, it was difficult to stay in touch with our families, so we were keen to get back,” Sean adds. The right profile From the Vestas perspective, Sean had just the right profile to head up the Vestas Asia Pacific organisation – an engineer with a Masters in Business Administration, broad experience, proven management skills and a passion for Asian culture. That Sean has learnt to speak a little Korean and Cantonese is a clear indication of his determination. Indeed, when he first arrived in Korea, he soon found there was nothing else for it. “There was only one guy who was fluent in English, so I tried to learn Korean as fast as I could. At the same time, I had 65 members of staff at a time going to intensive English conversation lessons.” Today Sean’s managerial style bears the influence of good bosses, good colleagues and some basic principles that he describes as “terribly simple”. “It is all about focus – about identifying key segments and, within that, target customers and target projects,” he briefly explains. With business unit hubs in Melbourne and Chennai, Sean’s job entails a huge amount of travel. Little time is left over for the triathlons he used to train for. When he comes home, he is greeted by his wife, who hands him two small boys as he walks through the door. Life is busy – and Sean is enjoying every minute. “What I like about Vestas is that I feel I’m part of a solution to a problem. Energy and climate change is on everyone’s agenda these days. The opportunity to contribute is compelling.” VestasInside 172009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=18http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=18Quality counts 18 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=19http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=19When the quality of Vestas products and services falls short of the mark – it costs both in hard cash and in customer perception. “Compare it to your own car. When you send it to a workshop, you expect to get it back in the best possible condition – nothing less.” That is how Lars Roesgaard Mose explains the background for the work he and two colleagues at Vestas Offshore have been doing over the past year. This threestrong team, which has a combined total of 25 years of experience with Vestas turbines, visits all Vestas’ offshore sites to check the quality of the work performed on the turbines there. “It is a kind of status report,” he explains. The examination of the turbines can reveal everything from patches of oil on the floor in the nacelle, which could easily constitute a safety risk, to cables that are approaching overload, to an empty water bottle forgotten in a corner. But why are checks of this kind necessary? “If we fail to deliver the quality that the customer expects, there are plenty of companies they can turn to instead of Vestas,” says Lars Roesgaard Mose. The visits to the turbines therefore have a dual purpose: to ensure that the service on each turbine has been performed correctly, so as to minimise the risk of problems arising in the immediate future; and to make a good impression on the day the customer chooses to visit the turbines. “It is essential for us to remember that it is not our own turbine we are performing service procedures on – it is the customer’s. That is why we must constantly examine how we can improve and learn from each other,” he continues. The Vestas Offshore initiative is a good example of the focus on quality Vestas is to intensify, as Senior Specialist Jacob Bonde Larsen at Quality Excellence, explains. The centre is to support the work to improve the quality in all parts of Vestas’ business. A shared responsibility “A lot of people think that quality only applies to the production department, where the work with the Six Sigma system, for example, has significantly raised the standard during the past year. However, quality is a much broader concept. Our customers experience the quality of our work in many contexts – in the areas of transport, storage of turbine components, customer contact and the development of new products,” explains Jacob Bonde Larsen. “If the blades are damaged during transport to the site, the reason may be that we do not have a process to prevent errors. And as the competition is becoming increasingly tough, there will be no place for manufacturers that make mistakes and fail to deliver quality products – it is as simple as that,” he adds. For this reason, many parts of the Vestas organisation will receive support to help them achieve improvements over the coming months. “Vestas Excellence is not aiming to control everything; our aim is to help lay down guidelines for the future – to support our colleagues,” says Jacob Bonde Larsen. Lars Roesgaard Mose Jacob Bonde Larsen ins defacts • Quality Excellence is one of eight Excellence Centres at Vestas. This centre has the responsibility of ensuring that each part of the Vestas organisation takes a targeted approach to quality improvements – for example, defining, measuring and improving process and product quality. • You can find out more about Quality Excellence and the seven other Excellence Centres on the Vestas intranet: VestasIndex > Vestas Excellence i VestasInside 192009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=20http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=20No shortcuts to a better workplace When Johnny Nancke saw the disappointing results for his department’s employee satisfaction survey for last year, he decided to make some changes – for his own sake and for his colleagues’. “When you see results like that, you can do one of two things: you can start looking for a new manager, or you can do something about it. We chose the latter option,” explains Johnny Nancke, manager of Nacelle, Tools & Equipment in Ringkøbing, Denmark. The results for this department in the 2008 Employee Survey were not exactly uplifting. Employees were particularly critical regarding the dayto-day workloads and their immediate superior. In fact, they were among the worst for the entire Vestas Nacelles organisation. A mouthpiece for the management “I was surprised by the criticism. So, I called a meeting for the entire department to examine the results and speak directly about what the survey revealed,” says Johnny Nancke. Against this background, he worked with the local People & Culture department to prepare an action plan that contained a number of the elements the employees were looking for. These included, for example, more feedback, a theme day about stress management, and the development of good work practice. Combined, these elements formed part of a concentrated initiative to improve morale among the staff. “This is precisely what an employee survey can do; it serves as a mouthpiece for management. Many employees find it difficult to knock on their manager’s door and voice their honest opinion. So, the employee survey gives them the opportunity to do just that,” explains Lone Jensen from People & Culture, Vestas Nacelles. Formalised chit-chat “You owe it to the employees to look at what can be done better once you have completed a survey. Anything else would show a marked lack of respect. You need to find out what needs to be worked on, and then do it,” says Lone Jensen. As a part of the Tools & Equipment action plan, follow-up surveys were organised to ensure that the initiatives were having the desired effect… and they were. As little as three months later, the evaluation results rose. After six months, the scores for some areas of the survey had risen by more than 20 points. Mutual benefit Achieving success extends beyond decisive action taken by management. 20 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=21http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=21ins ins defacts • Last year, 86 percent of all Vestas employees took part in the employee survey. • This year, the employee survey will take place between 2 November and 16 November. • To participate in the employee survey, fill in the electronic questionnaire you will be sent, or complete the hard copy questionnaire you will receive. As Johnny Nancke explains, it has just as much to do with a commitment from the employees. “If employees do not seize the opportunity to give their input, the survey is worthless,” he says. He then went on to stress that the survey is not only beneficial for employees, but also as an important tool for the manager. “If you do not have a sense of where your employees stand, then it is difficult to exercise good management. The danger here is that management can head off in one direction and employees in another,” concludes Johnny Nancke. Lilian Nielsen, Technical Assistant, Tools & Equipment “The results of the initiatives resulting from the employee survey is helping to ease the amount of workload related stress in the department – not necessarily from one day to the next, but gradually. For me, the initiatives have helped me focus on some of the things I would like to improve on. It is important to remember that the survey give employees the opportunity to spotlight specific areas of concern – and this is an opportunity you have to seize.” Peer Michél Baden Thaasti, Project Leader, Tools & Equipment. “The employee survey has highlighted a number of problems and how we can deal with them. It has resulted in a better working relationship; it is more fun to come to work now. Another good thing about the employee survey is that it gives employees the chance to improve their working conditions. If you do not do anything, nothing will change.” i VestasInside 212009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=22http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=22Hello – New employees join Vestas, while others seek new challenges elsewhere. We have talked to two employees to hear about how they made their decisions. Vestas is fully committed to achieving its goals. That appeals to Tarang Shah, a new SCADA engineer with Vestas Asia Pacific in Australia. What was it about Vestas that made you want to work here? “I knew the kind of company I wanted to work for, and Vestas turned out to be just that kind of company. The fundamental philosophy behind the company appealed to me. It seems that Vestas is genuinely committed to achieving its goals, which is reflected in the vision of “Wind, Oil and Gas” and the mission of “Failure is not an option”. And who would not be keen on being a part of a rapidly growing and dynamic company that has already installed more than 35,000 wind turbines?” What is the most surprising thing about Vestas? “That everything moves so fast. The industry is developing extremely quickly, which means that Vestas is developing very rapidly. Another surprising thing is that there is not as much introduction as I thought there would be. But this is almost certainly a part of the strategy to teach the employees to stand on their own two feet rather than being dependent on everyone else all the time.” What do you expect from your time at Vestas? “Personally, I expect to become a better SCADA engineer – and I hope that Vestas will soon have a better SCADA system with my help.” How long do you expect to stay at Vestas? “I think I will be with Vestas for many years. There are all kinds of challenges and assignments, and there is so much to learn here.” Tarang Shah Age: 31 Current position: SCADA engineer, Vestas Asia Pacific Start date: 20 July 2009 Previous employment: 3.5 years as Senior Project Engineer for Rockwell Automation Master in Information Systems (MIS) Family: Married, two children 22 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=23http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=23– and goodbye It’s too far to work and too far from the customers at Vestas. That was the reason Kenneth Thomsen chose to leave Vestas. What made you want to change jobs? “I enjoyed my job at Vestas, but it took me an hour to travel to and from work. Two hours a day is ten hours a week and forty hours a month. That is a full working week just travelling, which is too much when you have a family. So, when I received a call offering me an exciting job, even though I was not actively seeking a new position, I jumped at the chance.” What challenges are you looking for now? “I am looking forward to working with consultancy and sales. I am keen on getting out of the office and generating sales. At the moment, I am working with a lot of people and customers , and I am really enjoying it. Even better, I am working for a small company where there are all kinds of other challenges. I think it is good to try both worlds.” What will you miss about Vestas? “I will miss working for an exciting company with an exciting product and great colleagues. I really like Vestas and everything it involves.” What will you not miss about Vestas? “I will not miss sitting in my car for two hours every day driving to and from work. And I will not miss the long decision routes or the parts of the decision-making process that are almost impenetrable. There is a long way between an idea and action taken in big companies, and even though this may sometimes be necessary, it is not something I will miss.” Do you think you might return to Vestas? “Perhaps. I will certainly not rule it out. You can always find an exciting job at Vestas.” Kenneth Thomsen Age: 38 Current position: Management consultant at IT-Optima Previous employment: 1 year as an analyst for Market Intelligence at Vestas. Family: Married, three children VestasInside 232009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=24http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=24Breaking the mould Wind power has long since proven its worth. And with a promising outlook for the industry comes new ideas. Here are just some of them… judge for yourself. Green Power Islands As the amount of wind-generated electricity on the grid increases, engineers are coming to realise that they will need to store energy to cover periods of low wind. One of the simplest methods is storing energy by pumping water uphill. This works well in mountainous countries, but what do you do in flat locations? Gottlieb Paludan, a Danish firm of architects, is working with Risø-DTU on a storage plan that involves building artificial “energy islands” in the sea. At night, when demand is low, surplus electricity from wind turbines would be used to pump water out of a concrete basin located 25–35 m below the level of the surrounding sea. During the day, seawater flowing in to refill the basin would turn water turbines, generating electricity much like a conventional tidal power plant. The forecasted round-trip efficiency is 75 percent. “Green Power Islands” would be sited either in the open sea or near cities, where they could provide space for living, working and leisure. 24 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=25http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=25High-flying turbines Flying machines equipped to harvest wind energy could take advantage of stronger, more consistent winds far above the Earth’s surface. That is the thought behind airborne generators which could soar to heights of 10,000 metres, where the jet streams create wind speeds of well over 30 m/s. Though no airborne generator has reached production scale, many companies are active in this area. Lighter-than-air designs include the Magenn Air Rotor System (MARS) from Magenn Power, based in Canada and the US. This is a cylindrical helium-filled airship, fitted with vanes, that rotates about a horizontal axis at a height of around 300 metres. On-board generators produce power that is transmitted back down the tethering cable. Challenges include designing lightweight cables, finding safe flying space, staying in position for long periods, and lightning strikes. The rise of the urbine “Urbines” – wind turbines on city roofs and in public spaces – have caught the imagination of architects, business owners and urban planners looking for a more sustainable future. Examples of turbines built into skyscrapers include the new Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC) and the Pearl River Tower in Guangzhou, China. Turbines integrated into new buildings face the challenge of variable wind direction. The BWTC gets around this problem by using its two sail-shaped towers to funnel wind through turbines mounted on horizontal bridges between the towers. The Pearl River Tower, now under construction, will have four turbines mounted in streamlined channels that pass right through the building. Deep water turbines In June 2009, Norwegian oil company StatoilHydro commissioned Hywind, the world’s first large floating wind turbine. The turbine’s 65 metre tower sits on a vertical steel cylinder, ballasted with water and rock, which extends 100 metres below the surface. Three mooring lines hold the cylinder in position in water up to 700 metres deep. Vestas is also tapping into Norwegian deep-water expertise. A new group based in Norway will research both fixed and floating turbines for water depths above 30 metres. Apart from Vestas, the 30 members of the Nowitech consortium include the research organisation SINTEF and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology at Trondheim. “Floating turbines are a niche market, and monopiles will always be more competitive where the water is shallow enough,” says Senior Specialist Bo Rohde Jensen, Vestas Technology R&D. He believes the floating turbines could be a solution for large turbines sited far out to sea, or where shallow water is hard to find. VestasInside 252009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=26http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=26A wider wingspan The blade is a complex part of Vestas’ wind turbines. Very specialized skills and know-how are needed to build one. Consequently, Vestas Blades has introduced a new system to all its factories that produce 44-meter blades and to the factories in Tianjin and Hohhot, which build 29-meter blades. The system, called Training Development Record (TDR), focuses on improving the individual employee’s production skills, explains Training Specialist Jens Laursen-Schmidt from People & Culture at Vestas Blades. Schmidt is responsible for setting up the system. “We have divided the work in production into 24 different jobs, each with a specific skill set or competency attached to it. These jobs range from gluing the blade to working on the spar,” he explains. “The break down gives us a good overview of the skills we have in the factories and within each group. Ultimately, it will result in a more consistent quality of training and in production. We also hope to be able to shorten training time, improve safety and quality, and increase productivity.” The system is closely related to Performance & Development Dialogue (PDD), which zeros in on the individual’s development. ”We take development seriously, and we can now tailor the PDD for each employee because we can see exactly which skills are needed for each job,” says Jens Laursen-Schmidt. According to Training Manager Anne Walker from the blades factory in Windsor, Colorado, the experience has, so far, been a good one. ”It has been very positively received. Employees understand what is expected of them, they can follow their progress, and they can see what they are doing well at and where further development is needed,” she says. “From Vestas’ point of view, we can see where there is a need for training, and we can see how many competencies each employee has in each factory and in each team.” 26 VestasInside2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=27http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=27my Vestas The best pictures from everyday life at Vestas in this issue were taken in Denmark and England. This is how attractive the turbine at the company head office in Randers, Denmark, looks through chauffeur Torben Victor Schmidt’s camera lens. Yohann Bellanger from the Technology Centre on the Isle of Wight is taking a break and enjoying the view during an active weekend on his mountain bike. Development Engineer Andrew Hedges has taken the photo wins this issue’s prize. VestasInside 272009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=28http://nozebra.ipapercms.dk/Vestas/VestasInside/UK/042009/?Page=28Editors: Peter Wenzel Kruse (editor-in-chief), Peter Gisselmann Rasmussen. VestasInside is an international magazine for Vestas staff, and is published in English, Danish, German, Italian, Spanish and Chinese. This edition closed: 1 October 2009. Print run: 21.000 Text: Anders Birch Breuning, Cath Mersh, Charles Butcher, Jens Birkholm and Peter Gisselmann Rasmussen. Text validation: Annette Pergin, Velia Senatore, Nicole Cai, Andrea Schneider and Silvia Hernando Carrera. VestasInside is published by Vestas Wind Systems A/S, Alsvej 21, 8940 Randers SV. Tel: +45 9730 0000 – Fax: +45 9730 0001 www.vestas.com UK2009-10-27T09:07:29+01:00