Wind turbines consist of thousands of individual parts. If there is a problem in one place, it can affect the entire operation.
The morning starts with rush hour: "At 7 o'clock sharp, service technicians are at my door and they need materials for maintenance or full-service orders," says Jessica Klump. The 28-year-old has been working at Prokon in the warehouse since July 2023. There are about 26,000 small parts stored there. "From screws to circuit boards to battery storage units: everything a wind farm needs - and fits on a Euro pallet. The major components are stored in another hall," explains the warehouse specialist.
Each item is labelled with a number, the so-called PE number. "The technicians tell me what they need - for example fuses. I then need to know which number corresponds to it in order to enter it into our inventory system," says Jessica. There, she can see at a glance whether and where the desired part is stored. If an item is running out, she generates a purchase order in the system. The most requested item by far are fuses, according to Jessica. "We always have those in stock. But there are also things that have limited shelf life, like paints. We buy those as needed." In general, the rule is: what leaves the warehouse, gets reordered.
"Screws, circuit boards, battery storage: my warehouse has everything a wind farm needs – and that fits on a Euro pallet."
Jessica Klump, Warehouse specialist
The orders from the warehouse end up on the desk of Jasmin Möller. The trained retail saleswoman has been working in procurement at Prokon since September 2023. "But we don't just order blindly, we analyse the items first," she explains. "When was it last ordered? How has the price changed since then? Is there a better offer? All of that plays a role," says the 24-year-old. However, sometimes things have to happen very quickly: "WEA is stopped: Every minute counts with that message. Then my colleagues and I have to urgently source spare parts for the technicians at the mill."
For this, she turns to colleague Jessica Klump. "Most of the time, I quickly go over to Jessi. We sit so close to each other that we can almost see each other," Jasmin says, laughing. If the part is in stock, it is immediately dispatched. "If the corresponding base is far away, for example in Stendal, then we have to send it by express delivery so that it is delivered directly the next day," says Jessica. In total, Prokon has ten bases. If a WEA fails, it can have entirely different reasons – sometimes even multiple systems are affected on the same day. That's why it's so important to quickly get them up and running again with the right spare parts.
"Wind turbine is at a standstill: every minute counts when reporting this. We will promptly procure the spare parts."
Jasmin Möller, Purchasing employee
The Prokon team works as sustainably and resource-efficiently as possible: "The bases send me the defective parts. I then decide whether they can be repaired in our internal laboratory - or if they need to go to an external manufacturer," says Jasmin. Afterwards, the warehouse returns the former defective parts back into the system. "Either they then go back to the respective base, or we store them here," says Jessica Klump.
Her colleague Jasmin Möller not only takes care of the repair orders, but also purchases work clothing and office supplies such as coffee and milk for the entire Prokon staff: "Every two weeks, I order groceries for our location. I make sure that the products are regional and organic." This also applies to the weekly portion of fruit - "that comes from the local orchard around the corner."
She has also helped to establish Germany's largest energy cooperative in the local area. "I became aware of Prokon through friends and acquaintances," says Jasmin, who lives just 20 minutes from the company headquarters. Jessica also comes from near Itzehoe. The trained saleswoman was looking for a new professional challenge: "Prokon then enabled me to make a lateral entry." She is particularly pleased with the friendly and trusting working atmosphere - also with her colleague from the purchasing department. "We are a good team," says Jasmin Möller. "We often make decisions together. Jessi only returned from holiday yesterday, but she is right on the ball - I greatly appreciate that about her."
Mon & Tue: 8:00 – 12:00 and 13:00 – 16:00
Wed: 8:00 – 12:00 (afternoon only written service)
Thu: 13:00 – 18:00 (morning only written service)
Fri: 8:00 – 12:00
Language (Country)
Prokon eG 2024. All rights reserved.
