Dear friends,

As of March 1, 2018, the start of our new fiscal year, we became Yaskawa Environmental Energy Division with global responsibility in our selected areas of wind, marine and turbo/industry applications. For us, this now provides a good foundation to continue focusing on our mission to electrify the world with ultimate efficiency, using the pioneering products that The Switch has created and developed for over a decade.

EVENT

We’ll be attending the following events and we’d be happy to meet with you there.

	NaviGate 2018	Electric & Hybrid Marine	SMM Hamburg
When:	May 16–17, 2018	June 27–29, 2018	September 4–7, 2018
Where:	Turku, Finland	Amsterdam, The Netherlands	Hamburg, Germany

BLOGS

Offshore wind: big is beautiful

Large offshore turbines have reached remarkable sizes.

MHI Vestas erected the first V164 prototype in the National Test Center for Large Turbines in Northern Denmark in 2014, setting the world record in size.

Starting from 8 MW, the V164 using permanent magnet generators from The Switch has lately been tuned to record breaking 9.5 MW. The V164 has set world record not only in size, but also by producing 216,000 kilowatts per day. This corresponds roughly to what 50 households use in total of electricity for a whole year.

But why does the size matter and can make a remarkable difference for offshore business?

NEWS

The Switch becomes Yaskawa’s Environmental Energy Division

As part of the long-term strategy of Yaskawa Corporation, The Switch will become Yaskawa European’s Environmental Energy Division to take care of business for wind, marine and turbo/industry applications. This new division will form a network of R&D talent from all The Switch sites to stay at the forefront in innovating and developing advanced electrical drive trains for these businesses. To support this goal, Yaskawa Corporation is making a multimillion-euro investment to strengthen the company’s R&D capabilities and in new equipment at The Switch factory in Lappeenranta, Finland, which will serve as a test center for advanced drive trains up to 15 MW.

“For our customers, this investment strengthens the fact that we are a viable partner with sufficient capabilities to invest in the future.”
Jukka-Pekka Mäkinen, President and CEO, The Switch

The Switch and Steerprop join forces at ASF

This year’s ASF explored new perspectives on the world’s most challenging arena for maritime commerce. Key themes included improving emergency response, developing technological capabilities and securing a sustainable future for Arctic shipping.

Global Wind Report: Annual Market Update

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) released its Global Wind Report: Annual Market Update, showing a maturing industry successfully competing in the marketplace, even against heavily subsidized traditional power generation technologies. According to the report, more than 52 GW of clean, emissions-free wind power was added in 2017, bringing total installations to 539 GW globally. With new records set in Europe, India and in the offshore sector, it is forecast that the industry will continue its rapid growth also after 2018.

Yaskawa invests worldwide

The Japanese technology group Yaskawa Electric Corporation, the parent company of Yaskawa Europe in Germany, is pushing ahead in the implementation of its “Vision 2025” corporate goals. The focus is on the fields of mechatronics, environmental energy and humatronics, where Yaskawa, together with startup companies, wants to establish new values for the development of society worldwide. As part of this program, the European headquarters are also actively looking for suitable startups.

Green insights from FOCUSPOINT

The Switch, together with Wärtsilä, held a thought-provoking session with leading maritime journalists. Together they were answering such a striking question, as how can shipowners move toward a greener future while cutting costs?

“If you don’t plan for the changes now, your vessel might be obsolete in 15 to 20 years.”
Torbjørn Lie, General Manager, Marine Solutions Sales, Wärtsilä.

The Switch receives two quality certifications

The Switch has recently received a new environmental management certificate, ISO 14001, as well as having updated its ISO 9001 quality certification. These two certificates stand as formal proof of our internal values and policies, as well as being a guarantee to our clients that we follow international quality and environmental management system standards.

Runtech acquired by Gardner Denver

Runtech Systems Oy, one of our long-term customers with continuous orders for high-speed motors used in paper machine vacuum systems, has been acquired by Gardner Denver.

“This is exciting time for our customers and employees.”
Kimmo Loippo, Chairman and Co-founder, Runtech