Wärtsilä's added to its presence in South Korea with the inauguration of its new service center and office in Eomgung, Busan, on Dec. 9.
By opening these premises, Wärtsilä will be able to centralize its business units in Korea, as Services, Ship Power, Power Plants and Industrial Operations, together with finance and administration, will eventually relocate to the new office.
The new facility, located close to the new port in Busan, covers an area of 39,370 sq ft and will be fully operational by July 2009, by which time all workshop equipment will be in place.
The global demand for Wärtsilä services in the ship power sector continues to grow. This growth is reflected in the increasing number of personnel employed by Wärtsilä in Korea. During 2008 alone, Wärtsilä's personnel in Korea has increased by more than 25% to about 350, with plans to further employ more than 70 people in the coming year. Most will be located at the new Eomgung facilities.
Wärtsilä's involvement in Korea goes back to 1986 with the establishment of the Wärtsilä Korea Liaison Office, which organized License Agreements with SsangYong Heavy Industries for engine production under licence. Wärtsilä Korea Ltd was established in 1993. In May 2007, Wärtsilä opened its Land & Sea Academy in Busan, which was followed in September, 2007 by a new service centre at Incheon. The new centre now opening in Eomgung, Busan, will consolidate all of the Korean operations to better serve our customers. The new facility means that Wärtsilä now has four locations in the world's principal shipbuilding country.
(www.wartsila.com)