How Clipper Windpower Jump-Started Itself . . . Big Time

By Drew Robb

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Specialized Teams

With an expanding fleet and growing customer needs, in early 2010, Clipper's fleet services team organized within two specialized segments. Jeff Maurer's PMO group deals with construction, installation, and commissioning of new projects, which involves everything up to the commercial operation date (COD). Everything post-COD is handled by Operations, Maintenance, Service and Warranty, led by Larry Willey. Maurer peeled off about one-third of the staff for his team, and Willey has the rest to service a growing fleet. Once PMO commissions a turbine, it's turned over to OMSW to look after—typically for the next five years—on behalf of the customer.

Willey explains that there are different considerations in the early part of the process that don't fit well within OMSW's primary mission. With the new arrangement, the PMO organization can concentrate on what it does best: getting new sites up, commissioned on time, and running efficiently. PMO also supports other functions within the organization, including project development and commercial operations. It even includes a project controls group that creates estimates, budgets, and schedules for new prospective opportunities and coordinates requests for proposals to develop new business for Clipper. OMSW, on the other hand, with a staff of more than 200, manages the remote monitoring center, the many maintenance techs, supervision of sites, and spare parts.

After coming on board last November, Willey noted that his first order of business was to cut down on time spent on warranty issues. He created a group called "customer data analytics and warranty" with the vision of eventually taking warranty-specific staff down toward zero. How? By performing detailed analytics of each machine and every issue, he says, common problems can be isolated and wasted effort can be minimized. Willey gave the example of finding repeated trouble with particular parts and then taking that data out to the supply base to bring about better quality control and longer part lifespan.

"It is up to us to represent the customer's interests and do all we can to improve the quality of our products," said Willey. "Customer analytics also allows us to provide our customers with a lot more data and reports to show the operation of their fleets."

Clipper has taken this a step further by partnering with another company that specializes in preventive maintenance software and sensors for gas and steam turbines. As a result, the group is developing advanced algorithms for condition monitoring of wind turbines. In the area of material control, OMSW works closely with PMO to ensure that a material control person is on site during every installation and carries through to the post-COD phase of projects.

Another major thrust for OMSW was the creation of a field data analytics and remote monitoring and diagnostics group that supports better flow of component performance and practical fix information back up into the engineering and sourcing functions. Clipper officials say this enhanced communication has resulted in a number of product improvements benefiting new turbine production. It is expected to continuously accelerate product quality going forward.

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