Bespoke beams for wind turbines project are a breeze for Britlift

Certex, a leading provider of lifting solutions for the offshore industry, reached out to Britlift when its client required a rapid turnaround on the delivery of a range of custom products.

“Offshore wind is a rapidly evolving industry,” said Jason Griffen, sales manager for Certex UK. Turbines are increasing in size and scale, meaning new beams and frames were required to ensure high standards of lifting safety.

“Our client needed someone who could provide an end-to-end solution from design through to manufacture, along with the relevant certifications. And the time frame was quite tight, with two deadlines in quick succession.”

Britlift was able to design, engineer, and manufacture the first batch of bespoke beams and frames in just six weeks. The second suite followed just eight weeks later. In total, Britlift supplied 10 beams and frames covering five new designs, including one for lifting a custom 175t three-point T-piece which connects the turbine to the tower.

“We spoke to a few different companies, but Britlift was by far the most responsive,” added Jason. “From the outset we found them easy to deal with – and they were also competitive on price.

“When deadlines are tight, you usually need to keep checking in with a supplier to monitor progress. But Britlift was very proactive at communicating with us and ensured that we were informed every step of the way. They also went above and beyond when it came to additional services such as supplying technical documents.”

Certex UK is a leading provider of lifting solutions, supplying high-quality equipment, steel wire ropes, and safety products to sectors like oil and gas, renewables, and construction. With expert services including inspections, testing, maintenance, and accredited training, Certex supports clients from multiple UK locations. As part of Axel Johnson International’s Lifting Solutions Group, Certex combines local knowledge with global expertise to deliver safe, innovative, and reliable lifting solutions.

Liam Botting, managing director of Britlift, said: “This was a fantastic project to be involved with! We are receiving more and more Offshore Wind enquiries, along with Defence and Nuclear, but it is not very often that we can get our hands on some great pictures of the equipment in use!

You’ll be able to see from the picture of the ECP (T-Piece) Frame, the shear size of that 175 tonne 3-point spreader frame, and there were two within this order!

This was the perfect project to break in our brand new manufacturing facility!

Based in Dorset, UK, Britlift works with a global client base, providing an end-to-end lifting equipment engineering design service including calculations, design, manufacture, certification, and rig design. The qualified mechanical and structural engineers at Britlift will work with the client during the design phase, ensuring the most efficient, effective, safe and suitable solution is engineered, be that a lifting beam or frame, a bespoke handling or lifting tool, complex rig design, or FEA. Its Traditional Modular spreader beams and Multilifter (ML180) are also available in a variety of standard sizes.