Wärtsilä opens manufacturing plant in Brazil

Wärtsilä has inaugurated a new manufacturing plant in Porto do Açu, Brazil. The new unit will produce and test motor generators and thrusters.

The company’s first unit at Porto do Açu in São João da Barra, Brazil, will be the first assembly plant and production unit for generator sets and azimuth thrusters in Brazil for Wärtsilä. Covering 4000 m² of floor space, the unit will be able to receive up to 200 t of equipment.

The new unit represents an investment of €20 million of equity capital from Wärtsilä Brazil.

Local impact

"The investment in the plant strengthens our presence in Brazil to meet the growing demand for Wärtsilä's products and services, in addition to meeting the requirements of local content, especially in the offshore industry," explained Robson Campos, President of Wärtsilä in Brazil.

In its initial phase, the factory will focus on midsize generators and azimuth thrusters, with the possibility of expanding the product portfolio according to market needs. The unit has already received six engines from Finland to set up motor generators, six propellers from Spain, and hundreds of parts fabricated and machined in Brazil for the production of thrusters.

Wärtsilä in Brazil

For Luiz Barcellos, Director of the Ship Power Division, the new unit is of strategic importance to the company in Brazil. Barcellos said: "Our objective is to create a frame of reference for Wärtsilä in the country and to occupy a leading market position within the industry in which we operate.”

The factory will employ approximately 50 employees, responsible for the different stages of the production process and testing for the two product lines.

Adapted from press release by Katie Woodward

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/25032015/new-manufacturing-plant-opens-in-brazil-482/