To establish leadership in the offshore wind industry, it’s essential to bring together the best technology, equipment, talent, and facilities. Haizea has joined forces with Pemamek to develop groundbreaking structures and equipment that are unmatched in the industry. Cooperation and co-creation have been crucial to a successful launch.
In December 2022, Haizea Wind Group, a leading producer of large metal structures for the wind industry based in Bilbao, Spain, made a major investment in PEMA welding automation. This investment was a significant part of Haizea’s growth strategy, enabling the company to expand its reach in the offshore wind energy market.
“We come from a legacy of black steel manufacturing, which means working with large parts and minimal automation. To realize our vision and plans, we knew that automation needed to be implemented as much as possible. We also recognized the importance of finding the right partners—those who could collaborate with us and deliver the best solutions in the market. Pemamek, with its renowned expertise and proven track record, is that ideal partner, aligning perfectly with our goals of becoming industry leaders,” says Borja de la Rica, General Manager at Haizea Bilbao.
“Our relationship with Pemamek began in 2018, and since 2020, we’ve worked closely together to achieve our goals in safety, output, and efficiency. This ongoing partnership has been vital in bringing our vision to life”, continues Jos Buijks, Managing Director Foundations at Haizea Bilbao.
Haizea is focused on becoming a leader in the production of offshore towers and foundations for the wind industry. According to de la Rica, achieving this goal requires the right combination of technology, equipment, people, and facilities. The challenge lies in the massive plate thickness and big diameter of products like monopiles and transition pieces. To stay competitive in the market, minimizing welding defects and ensuring high deposition rates are essential. PEMA automation technology provided the solution Haizea needed to streamline and enhance its manufacturing efficiency.
“It is crucial to have the right welding equipment and technology to meet these demands. Pemamek has a strong and proven track record in automated solutions for welding and black steel processing. We believed they could be the right partner for us, and they have shown us that we made the right choice,” de la Rica explains.
Pioneering solutions for the offshore wind
What Pemamek delivered to Haizea was an extensive range of production systems designed specifically for thick, heavy structures, enhancing the manufacture of extremely large XXXL monopiles with diameters up to 15 meters. The Pemamek equipment is based on well-proven technology that has been developed further to fulfill Haizea’s needs.
“Pemamek has provided us with intelligent automation solutions that have made our process safer, more consistent in quality, and highly efficient. We’ve seen exceptional performance not only from their proven standard and legacy equipment but also from the new custom-tailored solutions, which have been outstanding,” says de la Rica.
When it comes to design, interaction, and openness to new ideas, Pemamek and Haizea’s teams are highly praised.
“Nothing is too difficult or impossible for this team. I think this kind of approach is the key to running a successful project together, and it also lays a foundation for future projects”, Buijks says.
At Haizea, there are over 800 employees with diverse training levels and senior expertise. To reduce dependence on manual labor, the company needed the right equipment and solutions to increase efficiency. PEMA solutions have successfully addressed these challenges.
“Pemamek has provided cutting-edge three-wire long stick-out submerged arc welding solutions for us. In our industry, this is a benchmark, and no other company has been able to do it before. We have been able to implement this new technology smoothly. With the solutions provided by Pemamek, we can achieve stability. And stability is the key to success.”
With the PEMA WeldControl 500 software, the technical team can upload WPSs directly into the welding equipment, allowing operators to start working immediately, as everything is preloaded into the interface. This reduces the margin for error and enables welding to be performed independently of the welding technicians.
“The three-wire long stick-out has the highest deposit rate on the market. It’s not easy because it stresses the technology to reach such high deposit rates. It takes the technology to the limit. However, we are confident that with the solutions we have implemented, we will reach our goals.”
At Pemamek, we’re proud of our partnership with Haizea in the wind energy industry. Through hard work and close collaboration, we’ve achieved something truly innovative. Together, we have brought pioneering solutions to the market and ensured that our support extends well beyond commissioning. We are proud to stand by our customers every step of the way, fostering long-term relationships built on trust, partnership, and shared success.
Torben Blaaholm, Director Sales & Business Development, Wind Energy at Pemamek
Building success together
After the investment decision was made, the collaboration between Haizea and Pemamek began from scratch, starting with the planning of Haizea’s plant layout. The two companies worked closely together, first designing the layout and balancing the production lines to match the capacity of the process.
In close cooperation, they developed equipment specifically tailored to integrate seamlessly with Haizea’s facilities. The size of the equipment is immense—among the largest in the world—and with its high-power consumption, equipment had to be custom-built to ensure a perfect fit.
“Collaboration has been very good and Pemamek is close to the customer. When we do something new that is not in the market and is so massive, there are, of course, always challenges, but that shows the value of communication. When you are debugging equipment that has not been proven before, you must collaborate and have a strong partnership. Without support, it is impossible to launch something like this successfully,” Borja explains.
Advice for the industry
When asked about any advice for other wind industry companies considering an investment in automation, de la Rica has simple advice:
“In automation, you need to find the right partner. Without the right partners, you will never be successful. I would strongly advise companies who want to have a cutting edge in automation to choose a partner like Pemamek.”
The future in the wind industry looks bright, and as Haizea plans for future expansions, they are already in discussion with Pemamek. Jos Buijks highlights the exceptional collaboration between Pemamek and Haizea, marked by openness and a willingness to embrace new ideas:
“With Pemamek’s unwavering support, including 24/7 technical assistance, we are confident in the success of our current projects and those to come. We’re already discussing with Pemamek to develop new machines that will enhance our current plant’s output and safety. These innovations are crucial for meeting our immediate needs and long-term growth.”
“Our story has been very successful, and I am confident that we will continue building many more new chapters together in the future. If I were to describe our cooperation in one word, it would be ‘flow,'” de la Rica adds.
In automation, you need to find the right partner. Without the right partners, you will never be successful. I would strongly advise companies who want to have a cutting edge in automation to choose a partner like Pemamek.
Borja de la Rica, General Manager at Haizea Bilbao