140 companies ready to take on the "terrific challenge" of °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ assembly
25 May 2015
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Sabina Griffith
°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ assembly specialists Bob Shaw and Ken Blackler (left) discuss with potential contractors during a break in the program of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Assembly and Installation Information Day.
The °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Assembly and Installation Information Day held at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Headquarters on 21 May marked the entry into a new era for the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Project.
As the name suggests, the project is about to set the course for the assembly of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ machine. More than one million pieces—some huge and very heavy, some fragile and tiny—will have to be assembled with millimetre accuracy during the assembly of the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Tokamak and plant systems. Special tools will have to be developed to lift, turn and attach the components.
"°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ assembly is a terrific challenge—a challenge that we are ready to take, with your help," said °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ Director-General Bernard Bigot in his opening remarks. Over 200 representatives of 140 international companies were gathered in the °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¸ßÊÖ amphitheatre for the full-day program.
The large amount of interest displayed by the participants in learning more about the project's assembly procurement strategy and the contracts that will be launched was "exciting," Director-General Bigot stated. "We will need to work very closely together. You are more than suppliers, you are partners in one of the most ambitious scientific and engineering projects ever undertaken!"