Three organizations are joining forces to help manufacturers identify opportunities in the wind energy market.
The Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), the Canadian Wind Energy Association and the American Wind Energy Association have agreed to collaborate to help create clean sources of energy and provide jobs in the North American wind energy market.
The three organizations plan to support development of the wind energy supply chain in Canada and the US by providing wind energy market information to manufacturers looking to transition to wind energy manufacturing and by supporting the manufacturing workforce with the skills required for manufacturing competitiveness.
“SME’s partnerships with two of the strongest industry voices for wind energy ― the American Wind Energy Association and the Canadian Wind Energy Association ― will help build capacity and provide support for the wind-energy manufacturing supply chain,” says Pam Hurt, strategic alliances manager at SME.
“These working relationships enable SME to connect manufacturers to a growth industry that is fairly young but still complex. By sharing technical information and programming, our associations support advanced manufacturing and its workforce,” she adds.
Chris Forrest, vice president, communications and marketing for CanWEA, says that “SME will help equip the wind industry with the technical manufacturing expertise needed to design and produce innovative products for the future. Some of these components are massively heavy and difficult to transport so they must be built close to installation, which helps drive the need to develop extended supply chains. At the same time, the partnership will provide wind energy market information to manufacturers looking to expand into a growing new sector.”
For its part, AWEA is “working with wind turbine manufacturers from around the world to encourage them to locate manufacturing facilities in the US,” says Jeff Anthony, business development manager, AWEA. “They will need to be supplied by manufacturers for components and sub-components in this country, and SME can help us direct this role through educational partnerships and working collaboratively.”
Some specific collaborative efforts include AWEA’s participation at SME signature events like FABTECH, WESTEC and EASTEC, and CanWEA’s participation at SME’s Canadian shows such as the Canadian Manufacturing Technology Show (CMTS). Conversely, SME sponsors and provides expertise at AWEA and CanWEA annual conferences and seminars.
The organizations will educate their members on the initiatives to bring direct benefit to their respective memberships. By leveraging the combined marketing efforts, trade publications, e-communications and newsletters, technical communities of interest, webinars and other programs, a strong industry can be supported for the long-term.
“SME will provide the platform for a technical community network to share manufacturing knowledge, expertise and opportunities for the North American wind energy industry,” says Hurt.
“The entire world is racing to build the infrastructure to support clean energy development. We have a window of opportunity to not only build and enhance the North American supply chain, but define and train the green work force for tomorrow’s challenges that are only now being recognized. Working together and aligning our resources is a smart solution to those challenges.”
