GWO BTT: The big industry problem that nobody's talking about
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With no external route to authorisation, LiftWerx and WTS created a new industry-first pathway beyond the OEMs.
The Problem: An AT Bottleneck
LiftWerx isn’t your average heavy lift company. While others roll in giant cranes on trucks or platforms, they build theirs up-tower - piece by piece, bolt by bolt. It’s physically demanding work, performed in all weather, by a tight-knit team that knows how to handle complex, safety-critical operations.
But there was a catch. Every time they took on a Siemens turbine job, they had to hire external Siemens-authorized technicians, even though their own lift specialists were perfectly capable. The sticking point? Authorization.
As Dominic Connolly, Founding Director at Wind Training Solutions, explains, “It was easier for LiftWerx to find top-tier heavy lift talent and train them on turbines, than to find someone with the perfect mix of authorization, fault-finding skill, and lifting experience.”
The outcome? Higher costs, delayed jobs, and skilled techs stuck on the sidelines.
The Solution: Train Their Own
That’s when the lightbulb went off. Why keep chasing unicorns, those rare few with both turbine authorisation and heavy lift expertise, when LiftWerx could train their own?
So that’s exactly what they did.
Using a 2.3MW Siemens training nacelle and a Bonus 2MW turbine, Wind Training Solutions delivered a custom-built familiarization and troubleshooting program based on the G2-G4 Siemens platform. The training focused on turbine control, tag-out procedures, advanced fault finding, and the complex web of communications and control systems that keep these turbines spinning safely.
“When you lift a gearbox or generator, you’re not just moving hardware,” Dominic explains. “You’re disconnecting the heart of the turbine. The job doesn’t stop at isolation. It’s constant, real-time management, and it always comes with faults on reassembly. So we made sure they could fault-find too.”
The training was hands-on, practical, and built around real job demands. And the results? A team equipped to do the job, end to end.
The Result: A Team Ready for Anything
With the training complete, LiftWerx techs are now moving toward full authorization. The final steps? WTS observe LiftWerx techs applying isolations and safety procedures on site to prove they can execute under real conditions. Then, an internal authorization panel (including OEM representation) will review their performance and issue final sign-offs.
It’s the first time this type of custom authorization training has been delivered for Siemens platforms, outside the OEM ecosystem. And LiftWerx is leading the way.
“They’ll have their own team of authorised techs, no more hiring out,” says Dominic. “Now, they can deploy any crew to any job, anywhere.”
A New Standard for Industry Training
This wasn’t a one-off fix. It’s a blueprint and new model for how specialist companies can take control of their training, reduce external reliance, and build workforce capability on their own terms.
LiftWerx solved a problem the industry had simply learned to live with. Now, they’re more agile, more cost-effective, and better equipped for the future because of it.
