Following a collaboration with Enlil, a clean-energy startup, ARaymond Türkiye won first prize in its category at the prestigious VPO Project Awards for its innovative wind turbine blade design.
ARaymond Türkiye was awarded first prize in its category comprising large companies, at the 2024 VPO Project Awards, a national competition organized by the Turkish Ministry of Industry and Technology. The award honors outstanding achievements in industrial innovation and efficiency. Competing for the first time, ARaymond Türkiye stood out among more than 600 high-profile contenders.
A Blade Designed for Innovation and Impact
The winning project—a modular, recyclable wind turbine blade—was developed in collaboration with Turkish clean-tech startup Enlil, as part of the Enlil Blade Design Project. The challenge: to create a blade that could accommodate Enlil’s unique curvature specifications while remaining compatible with cost-effective manufacturing processes.
ARaymond developed a modular design that leverages its core expertise in fastening and assembly. “We’ve reduced the cost by 90% per blade and achieved a 28% weight reduction compared to conventional models, without compromising durability,” explains Gökşan Şan, Executive at ARaymond’s Design Center.
Sustainable Materials and Modular Thinking
Beyond performance and cost-efficiency, sustainability was a key driver. Unlike conventional wind turbines, the Enlil & ARaymond blade is manufactured through plastic injection molding and using bio-based materials, offering an alternative to traditional carbon-fiber models. “Our blade underwent rigorous wear-and-tear testing to ensure it could withstand extreme real-life conditions,” says Emre Taner, Business Development Manager at ARaymond.
The project later expanded to include Biolive, a startup that produces bio-based polymers from olive seeds. “By using these green materials, we’re able to produce the world’s first truly recyclable wind turbine blades made from bio-based materials,” Emre adds.
Four years after the initial collaboration between Enlil and ARaymond, the turbines are now installed in locations across Portugal, Germany, and Japan. The very first prototype is proudly displayed in the gardens of ARaymond Türkiye’s facility.
Renewables in Focus
Best known as a key supplier to the automotive industry, ARaymond is a purpose-driven global enterprise with over 160 years of expertise in fastening and assembly solutions. Since the early 2000s, the company has strategically diversified into high-impact markets such as renewable energies. By engineering innovative, screwless solutions for solar panel installation, ARaymond helps clients significantly lower the total cost of solar energy capture.
The award-winning Enlil Blade Design Project thus constitutes a milestone, demonstrating ARaymond’s ability to combine innovation, sustainability, and industrial excellence to advance the future of energy.