Gearing up in Indiana with wind power component maker By Chris Madison

Though not visible like the towers or blades, the gearbox is a critical component of a wind turbine, helping to link the spinning blades with the generator that converts the energy into electricity.

Until now, most of the gearboxes installed on U.S. turbines have been manufactured overseas. But Brevini USA is investing in Indiana, based on the prospects that increased use of wind energy in the United states will create a domestic market for the gearboxes. They hope to begin production in 2011, and also hope the U.S. economy has recovered by then.

The wind industry is pressing state legislatures and Congress to adopt pro-wind policies, especially a renewable electricity standard, that will create the demand for wind, and the jobs that go with the new industry.

Brevini said that one of the reasons it came to the Muncie area is the large base of workers possessing mechanical skills. As recently as two or three years ago, workers built transmissions for General Motors and Ford at plants in the city.

Construction of the Brevini building is all but complete. Next month, the company will start hiring staff for the Muncie plant, and sending key personnel for training in Germany. Next year they will begin installing the large, complex machinery used to produce and test the gear boxes, which weigh 43 tons.

Next week, though, is the time for celebration. The Brevini facility is located in Park One, Delaware County, Indiana, just off Exit 41 on I-69, 41 miles north of Indianapolis.

Brevini USA will relocate its North American headquarters from Vernon Hills, IL (suburb of Chicago, IL) to Yorktown, Indiana, 58 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

Brevini Power Transmission looks back on more than 10 years of experience in the wind power industry. More than 50,000 pitch and yaw systems have been installed for all the global players in the wind power industry, which guarantees the high quality and reliable operation of Brevini’s products – all over the world.

Brevini Wind USA, Inc. main gearboxes offer features that allow higher safety factors and help to reduce maintenance costs and service time.

The new company Brevini Wind USA, Inc. will manufacture main gearboxes for wind turbines, a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing center will be built in Yorktown, Indiana in the Park One/332 Business Plaza, located just 58 miles northeast of Indianapolis.

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