Vertical Lay-Up Machine Commissioned at TKF’s New Cable Factory

May 13, 2024, by Adrijana Buljan

The new cable factory Twentsche Kabelfabriek (TKF) built in Eemshaven is preparing for full operation as the company completed a type test run in March, producing a three power core-type test cable, and with the vertical lay-up machine (VLM) delivered by PASSER now commissioned and undergoing final tweaks.

“Our scope of work at TKF’s new factory is almost done since the vertical lay-up machine has been commissioned and we are now in the final stages of our delivery,” said Espen Brudal, Business Development Director at PASSER, the supplier of the VLM for TKF’s new factory.

“We are looking forward to seeing the factory in full production and adding to the much-needed manufacturing capacity in Europe.”

As reported at the beginning of March, TKF marked a milestone in the commissioning of the new facility in Eemshaven with the production of the type test cable.

“Our new facility allows us to increase our production capacity and represents our ongoing commitment to quality and innovation in the wind and cable industry,” the Dutch cable manufacturer said via social media in March.

TKF started the construction of its Eemshaven cable factory in December 2022.

The facility, built on a 7-hectare site behind the heavy cargo quay in Beatrixhaven, will complement the company’s existing production in Haaksbergen and Lochem, and will focus on the production of inter-array cables for offshore wind farms. The new Eemshaven factory will have a significantly higher production capacity than TKF’s existing facility in Lochem, according to information the company shared earlier.

This April, TKF announced that the company signed the International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) agreement for the renewable energy sector, saying it is the first cable supplier to do so.

The commissioning of the VLM is also a significant milestone for the supplier of the vertical lay-up machine, PASSER. This is the first of several vertical lay-up machines currently in their pipeline, and the first that will be fully furnished and commissioned within PASSER’s own supply chain.

The Norwegian cable manufacturing equipment supplier is currently building a VLM for JDR Cable Systems’ new facility in Blyth, the UK, and recently secured a contract to deliver a vertical lay-up machine for the first-ever subsea power cable factory in Taiwan.