MONTIGNY LE BRETONNEUX, FRANCE: DOLFINES, an independent specialist in engineering and services for the renewable and conventional energy industry, announced the acquisition of Maintcontrol, an expert in predictive control and maintenance.

On the strategic axis of onshore and offshore renewable energy services, Maintcontrol significantly strengthens the 8.2 France offer integrated into DOLFINES in October 2021.

Maintcontrol’s expertise in the fields of continuous data acquisition and exploitation thus contributes directly to the optimization of the operation of onshore and offshore wind farms.

Jean-Claude Bourdon, founder and Chairman of DOLFINES, said: “The acquisition of Maintcontrol strongly reinforces the added value of onshore and offshore wind services offered by 8.2 France. By offering immediate business and geographical synergies, it is part of our strategy to build an offer of high-performance solutions in high demand by our customers in the service of the Energy Transition”.

Jean-Pierre Souès, founder and CEO of Maintcontrol, said: “We are delighted to join the DOLFINES group, whose technical expertise and innovative solutions are at the heart of the challenge of the energy transition. The sharing of our experiences, knowledge and skills can only increase the complementarity of our respective identities and enrich what we will become together”. 

Created in 2004, Maintcontrol is based in Valergues (Hérault). It acts as a design and expertise office to provide its customers with its independent know-how in condition monitoring and maintenance by using the following techniques:

• Vibration analysis: with 2,500 wind turbines controlled and analyzed, Maintcontrol is the independent reference company in France for this type of control.
• “Motion amplification” technology measures vibrations from a distance by artificially amplifying the actual vibrations to make them visible to the naked eye. It converts every pixel of the high-resolution camera into a “sensor” that can measure vibration with unprecedented levels of accuracy.
• Infrared thermography makes it possible to highlight failures of all electrical installations. This preventive maintenance identifies abnormal overheating points in order to recommend possible corrective and/or preventive measures.
• Video endoscopy, a control technique used to visualize anomalies detected by vibration controls on rotating machines. It makes it possible to make a quick decision on whether or not to replace a part.

In 2021, Maintcontrol generated a turnover of €538K, of which 14% internationally, in the renewable energy markets (wind and hydro). Its customers are mainly energy producers and industrial and tertiary maintainers. Maintcontrol is currently involved in online vibration monitoring and structural vibration expertise projects.