Sky Man partners with Draka for wind turbine-specific lift

Sky Man International, a designer and producer of temporary suspended access equipment and permanent suspended access equipment, has entered a strategic partnership with Draka Renewable Energy to manufacture lifts for wind turbine towers which will be known as Draka TowerHoists.

Netherlands-based Draka Renewable Energy develops, manufactures and supplies cables and cable systems, and is a subsidiary of its parent company Draka Holding N.V.

"Draka has developed from being primarily a cable manufacturer into a global supplier of a wide portfolio of tower internals for wind turbine application[s]," says Dan Larsen, vice president of Draka Renewable Energy. "Draka's production and delivery concept covers all major markets for wind and we have a globally dedicated technical and service organization to support the wind turbine industry. We are happy to have entered into a strategic partnership with Sky Man, helping us to achieve our future goals."

Hugo Leemans, managing director of Sky Man International, says the company has been supplying the wind industry with personnel riding hoists and lifts since 2003. "We have a unique supply and production concept allowing us in a fast and flexible way to adapt to scale and multiply production," he says. "Another thing making Sky Man outstanding is our service concept; a specifically developed service back-up monitoring program, which is able to notify the customer about past events and raise a flag for future service inspections. The service concept can be adapted to customer demands. Sky Man believes that Draka Renewable Energy is the right synergy partner to substantially expand our combined efforts in the wind turbine industry."