Celebrating 40 Years with Vestas: Claus Engholm Nielsen's Journey
Join in on celebrating Claus Engholm Nielsen’s remarkable journey at Vestas, from working with the first 8-meter Vestas blades to being a part of the inaugural service team within the company. As Claus celebrates his 40th anniversary with Vestas, we look back at his career and the lasting impact he has made.
Claus Engholm Nielsen’s story begins in Ringkøbing, where he grew up and later trained as a carpenter. After working for two years as a carpenter in Hvide Sande, Claus transitioned to truck driving for a local grain company. The physical toll of this job led Claus, at 27 years old, to seek a new path. A friend working at Vestas mentioned a job opening for a carpenter, which led Claus to join the company on May 1, 1984.
In his early days at Vestas, Claus was instrumental in constructing the first models and mould for the 8-meter blades for the V16 turbine. At a time when Vestas decided to manufacture their own blades to ensure quality, Claus’s craftsmanship helped set the foundation for what would become the first complete wind turbine manufactured by Vestas.
“Before I started at Vestas, they received the blades externally, but when I started in 1984, Vestas decided that they would make the blades themselves. So, my first job at Vestas was to build the first model for the blades,”
With the start of blade production, Claus transitioned to focusing on quality control. By 1988, he had helped establish a quality management system, ensuring that Vestas could consistently produce top-tier blades.
From 1990 to 1995, Claus moved into the service department, becoming part of Vestas' first dedicated blade repair team. This period marked significant growth for Vestas, with Claus traveling extensively to support the global expansion of wind turbine installations. His expertise in blade repair was crucial during this time, as he worked to address and fix issues that arose in the field.
“When we started running service, we were provided with a car that we modified ourselves. Initially, it was primarily in Denmark, but as Vestas started selling globally, my colleague and I traveled around the world fixing blades,”
By the late 1990s, Claus had shifted to technical support, focusing on training, and developing new methods for blade maintenance and repair. He played a key role in establishing training programs and traveled across regions to educate new service technicians, ensuring that Vestas’ standards were maintained globally.
Since then, Claus has worked on finding solutions for various CIM cases and conducting root cause analyses related to blades. He has helped improve and innovate blade support, finding solutions that make it easier and less costly to maintain and install the blades. For the last two and a half years, Claus has worked in Ringkøbing, Denmark, as a Blade Specialist in the Blade Engineering & Support team.
Reflecting on his 40 years at Vestas, Claus highlights the incredible journey of growth and change within the company. From the early days of small-scale production of 8-meter blades to working with 115-meter blades. Claus emphasizes the friendships and collaborations built over the years, the freedom to innovate given by his colleagues, and the opportunity to travel and learn from diverse cultures. He explains that these are some of the reasons that have kept him motivated and inspired for 40 years.
“I’m so proud of being part of this journey. Going from developing 8-meter-long blades to manufacturing 115-meter blades is staggering,”
In retirement, Claus looks forward to new adventures, including being a grandparent and spending time with his family, as well as engaging in his hobbies of kitesurfing, maintaining veteran cars, and riding motorcycles. As he steps into this new chapter, Claus’ contributions will continue to inspire future generations at Vestas.
“I would like to thank all my colleagues I have worked with over the past 40 years. Vestas has been a big part of my family and has always been exciting and challenging. It has given me so much, and I’m going to miss it greatly – I will always have a blue heart and a green mind,”
By Simon Slebsager
23/02/2024
