Quarter Turn Fasteners

Wind Energy… Firmly entrenched in Europe wind energy is an exciting opportunity for North America and beyond.  And boy, did the 2010 Wind Power Show in Dallas indicate that.  Over 20,000 attendees and nearly 1400 exhibitors representing companies from countries all over the world including Germany, Spain, Italy, India, Canada, China, Korea and many others.  And the diversity of the offerings was immense… from the largest wind turbines you have ever seen, to the ladders and hoists that allow access and service, to the components inside the turbine that control pitch, power conversion, etc, to the trucking and transport companies responsible for transporting these large turbines and blades across the country.

The excitement at the show was evident, the buzz non-stop.  People are really excited about wind energy taking off in North America.  According to the AWEA, last year the United States installed more than 10,000MW of new wind power.  Thirty six states now have wind projects.  The people were a friendly bunch… happy to discuss opportunities knowing that  we all must all work together to grow this market, both for our companies and the environment.

So let’s talk about the exhibitors.  The turbines are unbelievably large.  Anyone who has ever seen a wind turbine across a field has little idea of the magnitude of these structures.  Or of a single blade.  Or of  the nacelle.  These structures make people look like ants!  All of the major manufacturers were there and it was impressive group.

One of the discussions we had with several of the global exhibitors is the necessity to have local manufacturing around the globe.  It is not economically feasible to ship these large parts all over the world.  Rather the large turbine and blade manufacturers must set up shop regionally, and thus need local suppliers in each region.

Of particular interest to Southco, were the many exhibitors who manufactured equipment for the inside of the turbine.  Many latches, hinges and fasteners could be found on the pitch drives, the inverters and other enclosures in the turbine.   There are a lot pieces of equipment  that need to be accessed during service, and our quarter turn fasteners and compression latches fit the bill..  There are also a lot of applications on the testing equipment, whether it is for monitoring the amount of wind at a location or testing the systems  in the wind turbine.

Other than that there was a lot of just plain fun.  A delicious exhibitor-sponsored lunch was provided each day and offered a good opportunity for networking.  There were plenty of evening activities including a function at the Hard Rock Café featuring Elvis Costello and the Conference Dinner starring Sienfeld’s Jason Alexander.  Even some of the booths got into the spirit of things… The Wind Energy TechnoCentre of Quebec  hired a three-piece Texas jazz band to perform at the end of the day, which led to quite a lively happy hour!

Bottom line is that it is an exciting time for green energy worldwide and especially wind. 
The growth potential is enormous and the clean energy it can provide is ELECTRIFYING!

Part 3 of a 3-part series on off-highway access components

Anyone who has spent a long day in the cab of an off-highway vehicle knows the importance of comfort, convenience and safety. So it’s not surprising that Southco has developed our products for these vehicles with ergonomics as a top priority.

Streamlined position control hinges allow for precise control of the cab environment—the perfect angle of the armrest or the most ideal position of LCD touch screens. And a broad range of access hardware means everything is securely stored and won’t go tumbling out every time you hit a bump. Southco also incorporates easy accessibility into its access hardware, so you won’t have to stretch and strain to reach to a stored item. This attention to detail plays an important role in enhancing the total experience of owning and operating off-highway vehicles.

Southco’s standard and custom designed tilt and swivel mechanisms provide multi-axis control for raising, rotating and positioning display screens. And quarter-turn fasteners range from lightweight plastic fasteners to heavy-duty stainless steel varieties so the right fastener can be found to suit your application’s requirements.

To share your thoughts on entry door solutions or learn more about Southco’s complete system offerings, email us or download your copy of our Design Guide today.