Nordex to restart production in its manufacturing facility in Iowa, US

As part of its growth strategy in North America, the Nordex Group is expanding its local production footprint. The company will manufacture nacelles for both the current N163 turbine variant, and a product specifically tailored to the US market, at its production facility in West Branch, Iowa. Here, the Group, which has been active in the USA since 2000, already has offices and a training academy in addition to its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois, as well as several service points throughout the region.

“Following the suspension of nacelle production, we kept the Iowa manufacturing facility ready to resume operations. It will primarily produce components for projects in the US and Canada,” says Alberto Fernandez, Chief Operations Officer of the Nordex Group. “Recruitment and training processes are scheduled to commence in the second half of 2024.”

“Manufacturing nacelles in the US represents a significant next step in expanding local procurement, and our manufacturing presence in North America, which is a key element of the company’s growth strategy for the region,” explains José Luis Blanco, CEO of the Nordex Group. Earlier this year, the company already announced its intention to focus increasingly on North America in order to benefit from expected growth in the US and Canadian market.

Manav Sharma, CEO of Division North America, adds: “With the support of the experienced Global Nacelle team, the US team will build on the local supply chain already in place to meet domestic content requirements. Starting in the first half of 2025, production capacities will be ramped-up in line with order volume development. The production capacity is planned to exceed 2.5 GW annually, creating further new jobs here in the US.”

Prior to his appointment as Divisional CEO, Sharma served as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of the Nordex Group, driving the expansion of the company’s global manufacturing network and the successful ramp-up of production facilities in India, Brazil, and China.

The Group has installed around 51 GW of wind power capacity in over 40 markets in its corporate history and generated consolidated sales of around EUR 6.5 billion in 2023. The Company currently has more than 10,000 employees. The Group’s manufacturing network includes factories in Germany, Spain, Brazil, India, USA, and Mexico. Its product portfolio is focused on onshore wind turbines in the 4 to 6 MW+ classes which are designed to meet the market requirements of countries with limited available space and regions with limited grid capacity.