Wärtsilä Corporation will invest in the manufacture of steerable thrusters in China and the Netherlands. The investment value is $11m. In China, Wärtsilä will invest in the machinery and assembly equipment for the manufacturing of Lips Compact Thrusters in the Wuxi factory. This will allow the transfer of the assembly of such smaller type thrusters from the Netherlands to China during 2007.
In Drunen, the Netherlands, the investment will cover an assembly hall including tooling for the larger Lips Modular Thrusters for offshore applications. The investment will thus enable the Drunen factory to focus on the large thrusters.
The investment will support the expectations for growth in the market. Wärtsilä, for example, is gaining an increasing number of orders from the offshore industry for propulsor units to be supplied to semi-submersible rigs and drill ships as well as pipe-laying and heavy-lift vessels. There is also growth in the numbers of supply and support vessels and offshore terminal tugs to be equipped with Wärtsilä propellers.
The new capacity in China and the Netherlands will come into production by mid 2007.