JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia - 9

in partnership with JEC Composites E-letter Vestas expands its presence in USA and UK Two new factories in Colorado Vestas announced on August 15, 2008 plans to further expand its American manufacturing presence by establishing a new blade factory and a nacelle assembly factory in Brighton, Colorado, USA. The nacelle factory, where the turbine housing containing vital components such as the gearbox, generator and transformer is assembled, will be Vestas’ first in the USA. The new blade factory will supplement the existing blade factory in Windsor, Colorado. In order to establish a complete supply chain for the factory in Brighton, Vestas Nacelles will set up a purchasing office in Chicago, Illinois to be close to the extensive northeast network of suppliers. A combined Technology and Production Engineering office will also be established at the Brighton facility to equip the factories with the right quality and continuous improvement competences. The nacelle assembly factory will have an annual production capacity of 1,400 nacelles. With an output of 1,800 blades per year, the blade factory in Brighton will match the annual output of the Windsor plant, bringing the company’s production capacity for wind turbine blades in the USA to 3,600 per year. The tower factory, also to be built in Colorado, will have a production capacity of 900 towers per year. Once fully operational in the first half of 2010, the blade factory will bring 650 new jobs to Brighton. The nacelle factory, which is expected to run at full capacity in mid 2010, will create an additional 700 jobs. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the American market for wind power grew by 45% in 2007, injecting over USD 9 billion into the economy. AWEA expects the growth figures for 2008 to top the figures for 2007. Consultations initiated in Scotland Vestas has initiated consultations with its 91 employees at the tower production facility in Campbeltown, Scotland, UK concerning the future of the factory, as announced on August 15, 2008. As part of its production optimisation efforts, thorough evaluations have shown that the products for which the factory was designed and streamlined do not generate satisfactory earnings. Vestas has been producing towers in Campbeltown since 2002. Expansion in England Also, Vestas has decided to invest in a new blade technology centre on the Isle of Wight, England, UK where Vestas has manufactured blades since 2000. In addition to blade design activities, the centre will provide facilities for testing the world’s longest wind turbine blades. The new development centre will enable co-location of the engineering team with dedicated prototype facilities and is expected to become operational in the second quarter of 2010. In parallel with the construction of the new R&D centre, Vestas has decided to change its current blade production on the Isle of Wight from blades for its V82 turbine to 44-metre blades for the V90 turbines. In recent years, the entire Isle of Wight production has been exported to the USA, but following the change in production a large number of blades are expected to be sold to the UK market as the V90-2.0 MW and 3.0 MW turbines are particularly well suited for this market, both onshore and offshore. The production is expected to be changed during 2010. Vestas expects to employ up to 1,500 people in the UK in 2010, against 1,114 employees today. www.vestas.com Airbus sells Laupheim site to Diehl and Thales Diehl and Thales have signed a contract for the purchase of Airbus’ site in Laupheim, as announced on August 1, 2008. From October 1, all operational business and assets of the Laupheim site will be transferred to Diehl/Thales. The Airbus plant in Laupheim has a total of 1,100 employees and has currently an annual revenue base of 240 million euros. It produces cabin linings, crew compartments and air ducts for all Airbus products (A320 family, A330/A340 family and A380). The transaction is subject to confirmation by the anti-trust authorities. The contract with Diehl/Thales also includes major A350 XWB cabin work-packages such as the crew rest compartments and the complete cabin lining, including cabin ceiling and sidewall panels as well as overhead bins. Supply contracts will be dollar-based. www.eads.com Hill & Smith purchases Creative Pultrusions West Midlands (UK)-based infrastructure, galvanising and building and construction products group Hill & Smith Holdings PLC announced on August 26, 2008 that it has agreed to purchase Creative Pultrusions, Inc., a leading US manufacturer of glassreinforced plastic (GRP) products. The group has agreed a price of $21M (£11.3M) payable in cash, for 100% of the share capital, free of debt and cash. The business, founded 35 years ago, supplies markets which include infrastructure products, transportation and utilities, construction, bridges and access systems. www.hsholdings.co.uk No44 October 2008 / JEC Composites Magazine

http://www.vestas.com http://www.eads.com http://www.hsholdings.co.uk

JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #44 - October 2008 - Special Asia