Valmont Solar’s Post

Transcript

So we're trying to build on the features that our customers like, but also incorporate new features that they're looking for. So one of the key things that we try to incorporate into our design is that type of flexibility. So we're able to adapt our projects based on the customer needs, so we can support a wide variety of project sites and. Challenges that they face. So as I walk the show floor here at Ari, +20241 of the things I'm looking for is product categories that really stand out. Something that resonates and that has folks walking around really taking a second look at a product category that must already feel familiar, and now they're trying to kind of looking at nuance, one that stands particularly. Out in my mind is this convert product by Valmont Industries. If you aren't familiar with Valmont Industries, they are extremely robust in the agriculture and the utility space. If you've ever been in the in the heartland and seen irrigation. Sweeping the fields, likelihood is that it's Valmont equipment and probably in your neighborhoods or along the streets, in the byways, the poles that hold up your utility wires. Valmont as well. It's a company with nearly a century of experience in supporting the firmament of American industry. And I wanted to talk with Sarah Jacobs, the product manager, about specifically the Convert Tracker and how it has evolved. So Sarah, I'd love to hear the origin story of comfort. And exactly how it has evolved into the product that we see here on the show floor that I see folks who have a lot of experience with trackers kind of looking around kind of with wide eyes, like what is this thing? Yeah. So the the product we're showing here today is Convert Versa, which is just the the next iteration of our tracker product line, which we've been delivering for close to 20 years. So Valmont's history, we originally acquired Convert in 2018, but Convert has been developing trackers. Since 2007 with this product, we're really taking some of the the basic design components of that existing, you know, kind of legacy products and we're bringing that through in the new product. So as you can see here, we're kind of maintaining some of the same concepts that, you know, our engineers got inspiration from the motor sport and the the heart of Italy. And you'll see that in our self lubricating spherical bearing design, which helps with ease of installation at very forgiving during the installation. Process and then also the balanced design of the structure. So we're kind of taking a new approach to that, but maintaining a lot of those concepts still within the the product. Did you incorporate that you in this evolution you took the features that folks that your customers liked and you kept expanding on? Yeah, yeah. So we're trying to build on the features that our customers like, but also incorporate new features that they're looking for. So one of the key things that we try to incorporate into our design is that type of flexibility. So we're able to adapt our projects based on the customer needs. So we can support a wide variety of project sites and. Challenges that they face a question that many developers have in their head is, is there a particular type of project or soil or land construct that this tracker is favorable for and how will that perhaps change with the first version? Yeah. So with our current product, we're really well suited to DG projects or small utility scale projects. That's due to the short tracker design that we use. So that shorter tracker design helps us to fit into. Irregularly shaped sites, if there's undulating terrain, we're able to break the tracker up and follow that terrain more easily. With the new product, we'll be building upon that. So we'll still support those same types of features, but we'll also be more competitive in large flat sites. So the idea again is kind of to have that flexibility and be able to support whatever the the sites need in terms of soil. We have multiple options for our foundation. So depending on the sites needs we're able to. Adapt the foundations for those types of subsurface conditions while using the same support structure above to connect to that system. Amazing. One of the unique design features that I'm sure you get a lot of questions about at trade shows in particular, when customers can really dig in and start asking about the features and the product decisions that you've made is this hardwired solution. Many of your competitors are wireless. Why this decision? Yeah, so with our hardwired system, we're able to. Reduce the amount of maintenance that the structure requires. So without batteries, that's that the system is designed to last for the the the design life of the tracker. With our new Convert Pro system, we're also increasing the number of motors that we're able to support with a single control unit. So on our current Convert controller, we're supporting up to 10 motors. With the new design we're supporting 60 to 80. That system is flexible depending on the configuration of the site. So again, we're kind of looking for, you know, what are the challenges that at that site, how is the the layout configured and we can use that product and its flexibility to adapt to the the constraints of the site. So although we do have a hardwired control system, we do recognize that there are some customers who would prefer a self powered system. So we plan to offer both options. We are working on development of a new self powered system. So we still see the value in hardwired and we plan to continue using that. Product line in the future, but intend to offer both solutions. Sarah, as product manager, what excites you the most about product that you get to work on? I think just working on something new and continuing to listen to customers and hear what their challenges are and finding new ways to solve them. So, you know, I always enjoy that type of constructive feedback because it means there's something that we have an opportunity to improve on. Yeah, I enjoyed that. Is there anything internal to Valmont that really makes your job easier? So the team that I work with, I really enjoy our team. Everyone is excited and, you know, really passionate about the work that we do. Yeah, I would say that in Belmont offers a unique experience because we have such a diversity of of products that we offer as as a company. And so having an opportunity to see what the other business units are working on and look for opportunities to collaborate and leverage those, you know, commonalities and the the work that we do. Yeah, I would imagine not only that there's some cross pollination with. Customers and also learning that comes from the field as well because you're engaged not just at the utility level but in so many different communities within agriculture and other verticals that must be refreshing to be able to have different versatility in the engineering teams. They really think through the hard problems that your customers face. Yeah, I would say it's it's helpful to be able to kind of take a step back when you've been in solar for most of your career. So it's helpful to kind of see that broader view and see challenges that we're facing in other industries and you know see what. What kind of overlap we may have or opportunities we have to work together? Absolutely. Well, one of the things I loved as I was cruising by the booth was this whole racing theme that you guys have. A throwback no doubt to that Motor Valley heritage of Valmont, acquiring Convert and the Convert tradition, you know, rooted in that Italian design. It's evident when I look at the Tracker and the way it comes together. It certainly is striking visually. But really, truly, and I've seen a lot of trackers, the first thing I thought as I saw it moving was, wow, that's really elegant. You're welcome. So my name is Bill Poland. I'm the Managing Partner of Eclipse M where a consulting firm that's been in the industry for about 8 years as Eclipse them and in the solar industry since just slightly after the dinosaurs were extinct. A lot of experience there. We've been working with Valmont for about 3 years and we're engaged to do timing studies and constructability analysis, which. Are designed in effect to reveal the amount of effort it takes to put a product together. We look at value added effort, which is not the superfluous kinds of things that you would see based on the quality of the EPC or materials handling and management, but just the effort to put the tracker together. And with that, we can then compare to all the other trackers in our database and start to make some assessments and generalizations and comparisons of the Valmont. Equipment with other tractors. So the convert 1P is maybe surprising in the sense that it's simple to put together. It's a low profile, it's short, it has a minimal variation of hearts compared to some trackers. And the elliptical bearing is also very interesting because it allows a lot of flexibility in the way the bearing assembly works to adjust for height east, West variation or South variation. So when you maybe first look at the varying. Assembly, you wouldn't think that, but when you understand how it goes together, it's a it's a very positive surprise in the way the system goes together. So Valmont has an impressive local content, which is really good with the IRA. We found our relationship with Valmont to be very collaborative. We've done quite a bit of development work with Valmont in terms of advanced assembly methods and Milwaukee tooling and so forth. They basically opened up their development area to support that and have been very open to developments such as also different ways to. Manage the installation of modules and so forth so. Among folks we work with, Valmont is is on the high end of being collaborative and easy, and especially Sarah being very friendly.