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UtILItY WeeK | 7th - 13th November 2014 | 23 Operations & Assets Iberdrola, and Samuel Leupold, Dong Energy's executive vice-president of wind power. More than 1,000 people have been employed installing the 3.6MW Siemens turbines and laying the 200km of undersea cable required on a project stretching over 67km 2 . If you have an asset or project you would like to see featured in this slot, email: paul.newton@fav-house.com Pipe up Mark Knowlton T here has been a fair amount of criticism about how seriously offshore wind developers and their tier one contractors are when it comes to engaging with the UK manufacturing community. Historically, this may have been justified, but examples of good practice are now emerging and we are playing our part at Grow to build greater collaboration between SMEs (smaller players) and larger enterprises. A number of supply chain development activities are already under way, with key players in the sector such as Alstom, MHI Vestas, Siemens, A2SEA, Statoil, Vattenfall and Navitus Bay taking part. Much of this work is not widely documented, largely because in this competi- tive environment these types of projects are protected through non-disclosure agreements. But it is happening. Meet-the-buyer events – led by developers – are one example. They give tier one contractors and UK manufacturers the chance to be in the same room at the same time. Each buyer explains to local and national suppliers the types of products and services they are seeking to procure. As well as formal pres- entations there is always a valuable opportunity for manufacturers to speak with the buyers face to face, over lunch and at their stands during the open networking sessions. The next of these supplier events will be in Great Yarmouth on 3 December for the Dudgeon windfarm, led by Statoil and Grow. One of the biggest issues we face is making sure sup- pliers know about opportunities and ensuring relevant connections are made. This is another area where we are making progress. A number of tier one suppliers have provided Grow with a detailed list of structural elements and commodities they require and it is our job to match them with compa- nies that can meet their requirements. Fabrication and steel structures are a good example. Grow has compiled a detailed list of UK SMEs that excel in this work, many of whom are already building for the oil, gas and marine sectors. These are now being given to the major developers and tier ones so they can make informed decisions. SMEs also have work to do and should be prepared to research the market and see where their processes and products could be used. But there can be little doubt that there is substance behind claims of "commitment to the UK" from developers and tier ones. It is up to smaller manufacturers to take advantage of the opportunity. Mark Knowlton, adviser, Grow: Offshore Wind "Despite claims to the contrary, the offshore wind industry can and does engage with UK SME manufacturers." Meet-the-buyer events give tier one contractors and UK manufacturers the chance to be in the same room at the same time