User:Glennyman/sandbox/LiftWerx

LiftWerx is a specialized wind energy contractor with North American headquarters in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, and with European headquarters located in Utrecht, The Netherlands. LiftWerx offers large corrective repairs for wind turbines, and develops crane-less technology to perform these specialized repairs. The company was founded in 2016.

Beginnings
Originally starting as an alternative heavy-lift company focused on the wind energy industry, co-founders Glen Aitken, Joshua Rauchwerger, Natasja Sesink, and Roderik van Seumeren launched the company in February 2016. All four founders were form executives at Mammoet, a global heavy-lift company headquartered in the Netherlands. LiftWerx received its seed funding from Meemaken, a Dutch private equity company.

History
Having worked in the wind energy industry for over a decade, Glen Aitken observed that many wind energy customers were complaining of the high mobilization costs and complex logistics associated with using large traditional cranes for wind turbine repairs. When his employer showed no interest in developing alternative technology to simplify these repairs, he left the company and then recruited the other founders to raise funds and start LiftWerx.

The company commenced operations in Canada in 2016, then expanded into the USA 18 months later. European operations commenced in 2021.

Technology
LiftWerx originally commenced operations by purchasing two Liftra cranes; however, due to the limitations of this technology, a decision was quickly made to develop future cranes in-house. These internal developments were quickly made possible through combining LiftWerx's own patented designs with the expertise of Dutch company KenzFigee, which was acquired by Meemaken in 2018. Since that time, the company has developed a wide array of specialized cranes which are used to perform complex repairs on wind turbines. The company's most prominent developments are GenHook™ and RotorHook™ cranes, which are utilized to exchange any major component of a wind turbine without using large cranes on the ground. The company's first GenHook™ crane was launched in th Netherlands in May 2019. Shortly thereafter, LiftWerx launched its first RotorHook™ crane, which was developed jointly with Siemens Gamesa.

Awards
In January 2018, the company was recognized by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) by receiving the O&M Operations and Maintenance Award, for combining engineering knowledge and entrepreneurial spirit to solve logistical challenges related to heavy lifting activities at wind farms.