The German Patent Office has decided to grant a patent to BLG Logistics Group for its innovative system called “Sleeper”, which is put to use during the storage of offshore wind foundations of up to 900 tons.
With the invention, BLG helps reduce costs in the offshore wind industry by avoiding cost intensive upgrading of surfaces to meet the requirements of storing XXL components.
Specially designed adapter plates are based on the modular principle, which makes the design universally applicable, so other components can be safely stored and transported as well. Since it is an integral part of an optimized process, the “Sleeper” also allows a flexible handling of components, as the example of tripod foundations transport shows.
Under each leg of a tripod, a “Sleeper” element is mounted. With a help of three Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs), the foundations are then transported to the intermediate storage area, where further “Sleeper” elements are connected to form a complete system.
BLG said that it had received numerous requests from abroad for this system. Therefore, an international patent has been initiated.
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