Another interesting year in wind is coming to an end. The competitive landscape has changed, as many turbine manufacturing newcomers have not made it in the tough competition.
At The Switch, we see a clear rationalization going on in the industry. Everyone is evaluating their core competences and concentrating on those. Generally, it seems turbine manufacturers are not as keen to manufacture components in house any longer. We also see that permanent magnet generators are becoming the standard in the new larger turbine designs.
Additionally, we have been expanding during this year into other segments, such as marine and industrial, where permanent magnet solutions are bringing game-changing technology to cut operational costs.
These developments make our offering valid as our flexible business model matches well to our customers’ expectations to closely participate in the engineering and quality manufacturing of their components.
Although this year has been one of transformation, this is just what has been needed for the wind industry to evolve and become more mature. It has also brought companies closer to each other to look for solutions together.
Now is the time to wait for Santa Claus in the Western world – and start to get ready for the New Year. It has been a great personal pleasure during this year to meet hundreds of top thinkers in the industry with more than enough brainpower and ideas to put the industry back on track.
I would like to thank you for the productive moments together, and wish you all a very Happy Holiday Season!
Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen
President and CEO of The Switch