"The future looks busy"

The anniversary has just ended, and the flowers are still standing and looking fresh at GNL Windservice A/S in Roslev, just 10 km north of Skive. The 300 visitors to the open house could help celebrate that it is ten years since Gert Nygaard Laursen, one man, started as a self-employed person in wind turbine service. At that time, he already had over five years' experience as a technician at Vestas in addition to his original training as an agricultural machine mechanic.

Today it has grown to 28 employees, including 20 technicians, and the tasks have developed in size since then, even though it is still wind turbine service.

- We started with wind turbine service out at the farmer's. Today, we also work offshore both at home and abroad. These are turbines of all sizes, from 75 kW turbines up to the largest 6.5 MW in Østerild. Sometimes we compete with the OEMs on the service side. The only thing we don't do is installations, says the owner and managing director of GNL Windservice A/S, Gert Nygaard Laursen, about a development that has also meant that the company received the daily Børsen's growth prize in 2020.

The development has also meant that the owner's work has changed along the way.

- I almost only sit in the office now, so my people are my eyes and ears in relation to what is happening on the site, he says.

The importance of good and skilled employees who can deliver quality work every time is clearly part of the value set in the company.

- It shouldn't just be arms and legs that we send out to solve the tasks. It must be skilled technicians who can solve the tasks independently, adds Helle Ankjær Laursen, who is responsible for administration and quality in the company, and she is also Gert's wife.

- We can say that with us it is the same technicians who will also come next time. Here you know who is coming, says Gert Nygaard Laursen.

The work with the different turbines means that the technicians do not only become specialists in one type of turbine.

- Our people work on 20 to 30 different mills, and they have almost all mills on their backs, explains Helle Ankjær Laursen.

Own technical training center and trainer

The employees from GNL Windservice are sought after in the industry and for good reason.

- We want to help train the good people, because there is a lot of turnover in the industry, says Helle Ankjær Laursen.

The company has had its own internal technical training center since 2022.

- You learn best with your hands, and it doesn't matter whether it's nacelles, hydraulic systems or top steering. Everything can be good enough, but if there is no focus on education, then it is of no use. That's why we have our own technical training center and trainer says Gert Nygaard Laursen.

And it is not only the new employees who need training.

- Even the experienced need new training. The mills get older and new problems arise. Therefore, there is a need for constant training and further education, explains Helle Ankjær Laursen.

Another reason why the training center and the trainer are necessary is that there is no wind turbine technician training, so they are recruited from various other trades such as car mechanics, blacksmiths or electricians.

- The agricultural machinery mechanic and electrician training together make a good multi-mechanic, says Helle Ankjær Laursen about the perfect combination.

The technicians work in pairs, and when a new employee comes from another trade, the new one works with an experienced technician. But there is a way that even works even better.

- We have also hired two new ones at once, so they are allowed to ride with our trainer at the beginning and later they were sent out alone on some light tasks alone, says Gert Nygaard Laursen.

- The trainer can both drive out or be on the phone. He can also come out if there is a need for it. It depends on the task, says Helle Ankjær Laursen.

The future and the green information work

There is also not much doubt about what the future will look like for GNL Windservice A/S.

- The future looks busy, says Helle Ankjær Laursen, who is complemented by her husband.

- There is no prospect of a decline, says Gert Nygaard Laursen, who has already made a decision that the company should not have either 50 or 100 employees, although it would be possible already today.

But even if there is no wild desire for growing pains, it is absolutely certain that the couple will work to attract more young people to the wind industry.

- We have a dream of being visited by school classes so that they can get to know the industry. At the same time, there is also a climate aspect to it, says Helle Ankjær Laursen in conclusion.

There is a gift from GNL Windservice A/S, which the owner couple is particularly happy about. It is the gift from the employees who have found the company's values ​​clearly for everyone.