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The Switch acquires Wartsila marine drives business

Written by Nick Blenkey
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Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO of The Switch: Now is a good time to engineer future-proof solutions for marine. Once the market picks up, we'll be ready to implement them

SEPTEMBER 23, 2016 — Helsinki, Finland, based advanced drive train specialist The Switch, has acquired Wärtsilä’s marine drives business that encompasses specialized megawatt-class power drives targeting marine applications.

The assets include the business’s test center and parts of its manufacturing facilities in Stord, Norway. The business had earlier been a part of Wärtsilä’s Electrical & Automation (E&A) line. Following the acquisition, The Switch will become a Wärtsilä supply chain partner.

The Switch says that the investment is backed by its parent, Japan’s Yaskawa Electrical Corporation, and gives it a stronger foothold in its growing marine business area.

The Switch says the acquisition gives it an opportunity to enhance its offering of world-class products since Wärtsilä’s drive offering is optimized for marine applications. This allows The Switch to broaden its marine business, an area which is taking off with the growing acceptance of the company’s permanent magnet technology.

“The Wärtsilä drive products are specially made without compromise for marine applications. These products are ready for integration with various other systems because of their superior communication features, including de facto industry standard interfaces and remote management possibilities. It is also possible to separate the logistics for cabinets and power modules by shipping them later to avoid damages during the long installation times at shipyards,” says Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO of The Switch.

“Now is good time to engineer future-proof solutions for marine. Once the market picks up, we’ll be ready to implement them,” he adds.

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