ONE of the leading players in offshore wind energy has told a Grimsby audience that the "can do" attitude that exists can make the town a winner.

Underlining exactly what is expected when a blue chip company establishes a supply chain, Siemens Energy representative David Hughes praised the ethos of many involved with Grimsby Renewables Partnership, the organisation that is being opened up to the wider business community.

Siemens is not only looking to build a manufacturing facility in Hull, but alongside the likes of Centrica and RES has been engaged in operations and maintenance work in North East Lincolnshire for the past five years.

Now as sights are set on the larger Round Two and Round Three projects in the North Sea, those looking to gear up and get involved in a multi- billion-pound industry have been given some clear advice.

Mr Hughes, who is the Round Three marine and ports development manager for Siemens Energy, said: "The message to businesses is that this is a fast-growing industry and you need to get your business ready if you want to be a part of the supply chain. When our procurement teams visit your business they will expect you to be competitive, all your accreditations to either be in place or in progress, with a strong health, safety, environment and quality ethos and a clean and tidy operation.

"The market is set to develop significantly and you need to make sure that your business has the resources to cope with the growth in demand. This includes dealing correctly with tenders – read it carefully and make sure you offer exactly what we want not what you want. There are good opportunities for the right companies."

As reported, when it comes to operations and maintenance, responsibility for nearly 850 turbines could be sitting in and around Port of Grimsby East, the recently rebranded Grimsby Fish Docks. Capital expenditure of £66,000 million and operations and maintenance work valued at £1.3 billion is understood to be involved. Grimsby's geographic location, aided by existing favourable infrastructure, is seen as key when it comes to the major developments on the horizon, and where to serve them from.

Siemens has also outlined a commitment to sourcing in Britain.

Mr Hughes said: "Our target is to source a significant proportion of materials from the UK. It's more cost effective, it encourages local economic development and it reduces our carbon footprint which, as part of the green electricity generation supply chain, is something we should all be mindful of."

Greater Grimsby's bid to capture this opportunity has been documented in a high-quality brochure, produced to highlight the benefits of the area to the industry at pace to meet deadlines of decision-makers.

Referring to it, Mr Hughes said: "This is top notch and a good illustration of the attitude of the Grimsby people. This comprehensive brochure was on my managing director's desk within five or six days of conception. This is how people in Grimsby can react. If you ring someone here it is a case of "the answer is yes, now what's the question?" It is such a good ethos to have it could be a strap line for Grimsby and the message is – keep that going."

To register interest in joining Grimsby Renewables Partnership, visit www.grimsbyrenewablespartnership.net before February 10.