Construction ingenuity: explore TWD’s creative solutions for building the extraordinary
Dedicated to making construction easier, TWD is a creative engineering company that specializes in designing bespoke mission equipment and temporary works. By developing practical construction methods, the organization enables contractors to build wind farms, construct bridges, submerge tunnels, and expand ports. Continuously enhancing its know-how, TWD brings simple solutions to complex construction challenges all over the world, including offshore installations, civil infrastructure projects, and transportation of exceptionally heavy structures.
Niels Rombout, Director, shares insight into the company’s history and scope of operations. “To help contractors, developers, and other stakeholders complete
their projects more efficiently, quickly, and safely, we offer method engineering and equipment design. This means we work closely with our clients to determine the best construction method to build for their specific project. Additionally, we excel in designing bespoke equipment, which is often required to execute the chosen method,” he opens.
“Since its establishment in Rotterdam in 2007 by Martijn Koppert, we have been steadily growing and presently employ over 350 skilled individuals. Having joined the company in 2010, it has been fun for me to be part of this journey, delivering high-quality results in demanding projects while developing the knowledge and expertise required in an engineering firm. My duties also include continuously seeking the best way to organize the company. In 2017, we opened our first overseas office in London, enabling us to serve the British construction market. There, we have assisted our clients in notable construction endeavors, such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel and the inlet and outfall structures for the Hinkley Point C power plant. Subsequently, in 2021, we expanded to Taiwan to support European and Asian contractors in the construction of offshore wind farms, with the objective to meet the increasing demand for clean and reliable renewable energy,” Niels adds.
Streamlining solutions
Its expansion into international territories empowers TWD to showcase its diverse skills to a broader client base. Niels sheds light on the company’s core capabilities. “Solely dedicated to method engineering and equipment design, we do not supply products. This approach gives our customers significant flexibility as they are not constrained to a single physical production location with all its limitations. It also allows us to be highly adaptable in addressing their requests and swiftly assess whether their idea is feasible without further commitment. As a result, we can focus on fueling our clients’ success by developing clever ideas and leveraging the innovative spirit we are known for, to make their operations smarter, safer, faster, and more efficient. To accomplish this, we possess essential in-house engineering disciplines, encompassing mechanical design and engineering, structural, geotechnical, drive and control, and marine engineering, alongside project and fabrication management. Additionally, we operate a testing facility where we evaluate aspects that are poorly, if at all, described by design codes. Furthermore, our team of software engineers develops applications that streamline our customers’ projects,” he says.
Productive partnerships
While Niels highlights that these services can be provided on marine transport, heavy lift and large civil construction projects, TWD has an especially strong track record in the offshore wind sector. “When the company was founded, the offshore wind sector was a new and booming market. Over the last 15 years, we have grown alongside this market, which is still developing rapidly to this day. In terms of our history within the sector, we have contributed to the construction of most offshore wind farms to date and possess an extensive track record in developing installation methods for both foundations and wind turbines. Similarly, we have designed dozens of unique installation tools and mission equipment tailored for the construction of these wind farms.
“Striving to be a frontrunner in the industry, we make substantial investments in innovation. For instance, in collaboration with a customer, we developed a method for installing large monopiles with high precision from a floating vessel, even in poor weather. Our role extended from the initial idea to concept, basic design, and fine-tuning the equipment offshore. Another example of our focus on innovation is our solution for supplying wind turbine components to an offshore installation vessel, presenting multiple logistical benefits. Notably, in partnership with Barge Master, we designed a platform capable of keeping a 70-meter high and 700-ton heavy wind turbine tower in a perfectly vertical position, regardless of the ship’s motions. This platform is currently being used to build the Vineyard offshore wind farm in the US,” he enlightens.
To illustrate TWD’s capabilities in practice, Niels discusses projects involving the construction of a jetty with a cantilever bridge. “Cantilever bridges serve to construct a jetty by expanding it at the front whilst resting on the section of it that was just built. Thus, when the piles and the concrete slabs are installed, the cantilever bridge moves forward. This process is then repeated until the jetty is completed. One significant advantage of this method is that it eliminates the need for temporary support structures, saving contractors both time and money. Moreover, by continuously repeating the same steps, the construction process becomes increasingly faster.
“Together with our client, BAM, and its subsidiary, DMC, we designed a cantilever bridge for the construction of a jetty in Papua New Guinea. This jetty is used by ships carrying Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) tankers to offload the LNG onto a factory on shore. Later, we were tasked with designing an additional cantilever bridge for the Wheatstone project. The original bridge was upgraded twice to accommodate the construction of new jetties in Australia and Canada,” he ends.
Through its enduring dedication to practical engineering, TWD is set to form many more partnerships to boost construction efficiency in a wide range of projects across the globe.