Tillsonburg Wind Blade Plant

Trusted Partner Case Study
Tillsonburg Wind Blade Plant
“Siemens’ investment in Tillsonburg is a great example
of Tillsonburg’s longstanding history of partnering
with the private sector to achieve mutually beneficial
outcomes. Their success in Ontario has been a cornerstone for our community’s growth and it has people
excited about the future.”
– Stephen Molnar, Mayor, Town of Tillsonburg
Siemens revitalizes Tillsonburg
with exciting green energy jobs
Ontario community buzzing with activity thanks to wind turbine
blade plant
Originally settled in 1825, Tillsonburg is a
town in southwestern Ontario with a current
population of approximately 16,000 people.
From its earliest days, and for many decades
after that, the community’s economy was
heavily dependent on the agricultural sector
and especially tobacco. But as that industry
declined in the 1980s, automotive manufacturing became dominant, with many
different employers establishing operations
in the town.
Unfortunately, in the recession of 2008–
2009, Tillsonburg was hit hard by downsizing in the auto sector. At one point, a sizable
portion of the town’s manufacturing workers had either been laid off or put on workshare programs, resulting in a significant
impact to local spending and the economy.
At around that time, the Ontario government established the Green Energy Act, to
promote renewable energy sources in the
province. Siemens had something unique
to offer in realizing that vision – the ability to leverage a long-established global
leadership position in wind power. Siemens
has vast experience and knowledge from
its participation with Denmark, where the
company plays a central role in enabling the
country to generate about 30 per cent of its
energy through wind turbine technology.
Siemens’ first step to helping Ontario become a prominent producer of green energy
was establishing a major facility for the
manufacturing of large blades, the unique
component that’s critical to generating electricity from a wind turbine.
Siemens-Tillsonburg partnership:
Green energy jobs for a bright
future
Decision to manufacture in Tillsonburg
Siemens invested in Tillsonburg to
open a wind turbine blade manufacturing plant in a vacant auto
parts factory
• Bringing clean energy and highquality green jobs to Ontario
• Major help to Tillsonburg in
recovering from economic
downturn
One of the world’s pioneers in wind power is Jacob Andersen,
a Dane who worked in the early 2000s at a company called
Bonus Energy. After Bonus Energy was acquired by Siemens
in 2004, Andersen took on a leading role within Siemens to
grow wind power both in Denmark, where he helped establish global leadership standards for the technology, as well
as elsewhere throughout the world. Leveraging all of that
experience, he came to Canada to head up Siemens Wind
Power in this country.
Facility has grown to employ about
300 people
• Most jobs filled by local residents
• Represents sizeable percentage
of local economy, including spinoff benefits for local businesses
and community organizations
• Received largest customer order
in history of Siemens Canada
• Excitement in the air with
Tillsonburg becoming a green
energy leader
Siemens and Tillsonburg:
A perfect fit
• Strong relationship between
company, municipal government
and community
• Enthusiastic grassroots local
support for the plant
• Employees energetic ambassadors for local community and
wind power
Andersen says Siemens saw Tillsonburg as an ideal location
for a wind turbine blade manufacturing site for a few key
reasons:
In December of 2010, Siemens made the official announcement that its plant would be located in Tillsonburg, and invested to get the site up and running.
A commitment was made for the plant to provide blades
to the joint venture of Samsung and Pattern Energy, which
was generating energy from wind in the Chatham-Kent area
of Ontario.
Through manufacturing, service operations and associated
back-office activities, plans were in the works for Siemens
to create up to 300 local jobs.
1.Tillsonburg is situated in an excellent location near many
of the places where the blades would be destined, making
logistics efficient and practical. In particular, with the
plant located right on Highway 3 at the edge of town,
there would be easy access to major highways and the
wide roads needed to transport the blades, which are up
to 170 feet long.
2.There was a large factory previously used for auto parts
manufacturing that had been sitting empty, and had the
potential with appropriate retrofitting work to be perfect
for making blades. The 253,000-square-foot facility
spanned 40 acres.
3.Tillsonburg had an outstanding reputation as a town that
would embrace such an endeavour – from the support of
local government, to a large pool of enthusiastic prospective employees, to a general “can-do” community spirit that
promised to inspire everyone involved in the undertaking.
“We are an integrated part
of the community – a local
factory with local employees,
making a major local
contribution.”
– Jacob Andersen, Vice President,
Wind Power, Siemens Canada
A very busy factory
“When we decided on Tillsonburg, we could have just
parachuted in many ex-pats and moved forward,” explains
Andersen. “But from the beginning, we wanted to do
things differently than that. We are an integrated part
of the community – a local factory with local employees,
making a major local contribution. We have invested a lot
in employee training and education to make sure we could
do it that way, and I know it has paid off.”
Tillsonburg Mayor Stephen Molnar is thrilled that Siemens
made the commitment to become a strong partner with
his community.
“After Siemens announced that they’d be investing here,
our town was mentioned repeatedly in The New York Times.
It’s not very often that a community the size of Tillsonburg
is in The New York Times. Siemens’ investment has helped
enhance the perspective on Tillsonburg and attract the
attention of other companies that are intrigued by the community when they hear that Siemens has made an investment here. From a community perspective, people see that
there are jobs here, that there is growth and a future for
them. This announcement, among others, was a big part
of our turnaround coming out of the recession.”
There was a flurry of activity during 2011 – to get the
facility completed while simultaneously hiring and training
local employees who could start working on the blades as
quickly as possible once the site was operational.
Long-time Tillsonburg resident Ed DeLoose was one of the
plant’s “day one” hires in April of 2011. He recalls how helpful it was to receive exceptionally thorough training and
experience in the months prior to actual work at the plant
taking place. It enabled everyone to hit the ground running
once operations began.
“We went down to Fort Madison (Iowa) for six weeks of
training at the Siemens blade plant there, which was fantastic,” he says. “When we came back, I went to Chatham
to help out at those wind farms for three months and see
how our end product gets used. It was a great experience
to learn so much.”
Grateful employees
Throughout 2012, and particularly in 2013, DeLoose saw
the plant team ramp up to a contingent of about 300
people, once the facility was completed and as more and
more orders started coming in. That included a sizeable
contract with Samsung-Pattern, with many more blades
to be manufactured not just for the Chatham-Kent project,
where 372 Tillsonburg blades would ultimately be delivered, but for other locations in Ontario, such as in
Haldimand County.
Then, in March of 2014, the plant made Siemens Canada
history. The K2 Wind Farm Project – located near Goderich,
Ontario – placed an order for 420 blades. It was the largest contract signed in the more than a century Siemens
Canada has been in existence.
Jonita Fex, a team leader of the group at Siemens who set
the fibreglass that provides the shape of the blade, started
at the plant early in 2013 and vividly remembers the buzz
in the air as the pace of activity accelerated day after day.
The pride among the staff, she adds, was palpable, and that
feeling remains just as strong today.
“The fact that we’re doing something that’s not common,
that not a lot of other people have the opportunity to do,
it’s something that bonds us,” she says. “As a team, we’re
very proud of what we’re doing. We have a positive attitude
and enthusiasm towards both wind power and towards
working for an employer like Siemens.”
Mitchell Albright, a quality coach who also began at the
plant at the start of 2013, concurs that the working atmosphere at the plant is second to none.
“It’s amazing, the communication and the wellbeing, and
the happiness around the plant,” he explains. “It doesn’t
matter what your level is. Everybody seems to work together really well.”
Mark Peters is an industrial engineering specialist from
Tillsonburg who had worked in a number of different jobs
before arriving at Siemens. He says employees who work
at the busy plant deeply appreciate what they have.
Ideal partners:
Siemens and Tillsonburg
With more than 300 employees, Siemens has quickly become
one of the largest employers in Tillsonburg, and when a range
of spin-off effects are taken into account, the plant represents
a sizeable percentage of the local economy. For example, when
the facility was retrofitted, local companies did much of the
structural, electrical, and mechanical work. And after the site
became operational, local hotels and restaurants have enjoyed
a noticeable bump in business as plenty of out of-of-town
visitors have been coming to town.
“As a team, we’re very proud
of what we’re doing. We have
a positive attitude and enthusiasm towards both wind
power and towards working
for an employer like Siemens.”
– Jonita Fex,
Siemens Wind Power employee
“People who have been here in the area know from experience what most companies can offer in terms of benefits
and holidays and flexible work arrangements. But Siemens
has stepped it up a notch. It’s so good it’s kind of a culture
shock when you begin here.”
Abe Neufeld, who works in the blade “aftercare” area of the
plant, where small defects are corrected, has been living in
the Tillsonburg area most of his adult life. He has worked in
a variety of jobs, from cabinetmaking to modifying cars so
they can become police cruisers. For him, having Siemens
Wind Power in town is a once-in-a-lifetime career highlight.
“Just being part of it is really a privilege,” he enthuses. “It
makes you feel proud that you’re accomplishing something
for the environment, and also for your community. So it’s
quite personal in that way. It has been amazing.”
Fex says that plant employees see themselves as not just as
workers in wind power, but ambassadors for the technology.
In addition, the nature of the plant’s jobs and the excitement
of being in a green industry of the future make the facility even
more special to the community.
“We know that there a lot of people who are opposed to
wind power. I’ve met a ton of them myself. They ask you
where you work and you tell them, and then they tell you
misconceptions about wind turbines,” describes the mother
of three. “What I think is great about Siemens being involved in wind power is it allows people like me to debunk
the misconceptions surrounding wind power. We’re doing
this for our kids, for our future generations. I want them
to be able to breathe clean air and have alternative energy
sources, and I think it’s a fantastic thing that we’re working
with green energy.”
Mark Peters echoes that sentiment.
“My wife and I have three-and-a-half-year-old son. I think
he already understands the importance of what Siemens is
doing. When we drive by wind turbines, he says: ‘My dad
makes those.’ That’s pretty neat.”
As Abe Neufeld puts it: “There’s a very different vibe in Tillsonburg
with the Siemens plant here compared to what it was like before
Siemens arrived in town. To have something like this, with such a
new and interesting kind of work, it’s very different and it’s great
for the community.”
Mayor Molnar says that Tillsonburg often markets itself as
“Ontario’s Big Small Town,” and having Siemens in the
community is perfect for projecting that image.
“For a community of our size, we believe we can punch above
our weight and Siemens being here is an example of us
achieving something significant. Having Siemens here will help
us attract more research and development and more people
who will grow their businesses here.”
Another reason Siemens and Tillsonburg are such great partners,
he adds, is the great relationship between the town’s municipal
government and Siemens.
“When you have a partnership, each has to understand each
other’s needs. And then you need to be able to respond to those
needs. At our end, we’re trying to be as lean as possible. We’ve
streamlined processes and are continually improving so we are
able to respond with a level of sophistication that a global
company like Siemens expects.”
Above all, explains Jacob Andersen, there is authentic grassroots
enthusiasm in the community for the plant.
“This is a local community that is eager to support us and excited
about what we have brought to the community. We have not
been met with any obstacles or any sort of hindering in what we
are doing. Of course, that goes two ways. We have also demonstrated that this factory, with so many local employees, is truly
part of the Tillsonburg community.”
Related links
www.siemens.ca/trustedpartner
www.siemens.ca/employeestories
Siemens Canada Limited
1577 North Service Road East
Oakville, ON
Canada L6H 0H6
[email protected]
10-2014 | All rights reserved
Printed in Canada
© Siemens Canada Limited 2014