The Marxen Case - Case study - The Burke/Lonvig Model FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY The Marxen Case - Case study - The Burke/Lonvig Model Our point of departure.

The Marxen Case Every year The Confederation of Danish Industry selects a company to be granted the Danish Industry Initiative Award. The award winning company receives an art work inspired by the company – i.e. its products…. One year Marxen won this award. Let’s take a closer look at the Marxen case. Marxen is a company in the boat building and the wind turbine blade industry. A case where some thorough research was necessary.

The Marxen Case Visit at company Mogens Marxen Composites – Production of blades for Wind Mills. Nothing is called Bonus anymore. Siemens Wind Power has taken over. Bonus has become Siemens’ spearhead in the Wind Power Industry. Denmark are as you know world leaders in the Wind Power Industry. Mogens Marxen is the owner and CEO of the company. I met him. Mogens Marxen originally is a boat builder. He is trained in building boats of tree. During the years boats fore leisure more and more have been built in Fiber Composites. Mogens Marxen brought his experience in Fiber Composites into the Wind Power Industry.

The Marxen Case Boing 747, was for many years the largest airplane in the world. The length of one wing was 30 meters. I often looked at the wings wishing that they would not break. On the Airbus A380 the length of one wing is 40 meters meters. At Mogens Marxen’s plant I saw a blade for a wind mill of 45 meters – its weight was 13 tons. At Mogens Marxen’s plant they only make the first meter and the blade is sent elsewhere for further manufacturing. Mogens Marxen’s plant paints a huge amount of Siemens Wind Power’s Blades. I stood for a while in the hole of the blade, which weighed 13 tons and the tip of the blade was 45 meters way wondering: What a lot of energy is used before the wind mill produces 1 single MWATT. When you see one truck after the other on the motorway transporting these monstrous blades, you might think the same. 3 x 13 is as far as I can calculate 39. On each of the wind mills are 39 tons placed in the top. The windmill engineers who calculates and constructs the mounting of blades must not make too many mistakes.

The Marxen Case There is a great focus on sustainable energy worldwide. The recent approach in this field is An off shore park of 500 wind turbines each of 3,5 Mega Watt in the North Sea. DONG Energy, Denmark is the buyer and Siemens Wind Power in Brande has been chosen as supplier. Siemens Wind Power in Brande is the leading company when it comes to offshore wind turbines. You can imagine it is very complicated to rise wind turbines off shore. Foundation, cabling and rising of a windmill at sea amount to 50% of the total costs. Wind turbines are placed off shore because of the drawbacks in placing wind turbines in urban areas. Off shore wind turbines are relatively expensive.

The Marxen Case I talked to the CEO at his factory I went to the library to get books and drawings of boats being built. I looked for blade technology at the library, too. The internet was searched for drawings of boats being built and blade technology.

The Marxen Case I got boat drawings and started sketching The boat part of the motif.

The Marxen Case The boat part of the motif

The Marxen Case The blade part of the motif. You can see this is a characteristic Domus/Siemens blade. You can see it on the tip of the blade.

The Marxen Case Now let’s combine the boat part of the motif with the blade part.

”Boats and…”, Asbjorn Lonvig The Marxen Case ”Boats and…”, Asbjorn Lonvig Original in 60 x 60 cm

”Boats and…grey/blue”, Asbjorn Lonvig The Marxen Case ”Boats and…grey/blue”, Asbjorn Lonvig

The Marxen Case The End FOR EDUCATIONAL USE ONLY COPYRIGHTS STEPHEN JOSEPH BURKE AND ASBJORN LONVIG