Create a free Manufacturing.net account to continue

Vestas Increasing Business In Colorado

A spokesman for wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems says the company plans more business for Colorado plants after the company named a new chief executive officer. Spokesman Andrew Longeteig says the company is gradually increasing the number of employees at its blade factories in Brighton and Windsor.

DENVER (AP) -- A spokesman for wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems said the company plans more jobs for Colorado workers after the company named a new chief executive officer on Wednesday.

The company is gradually increasing the number of employees at its blade factories in Brighton and Windsor, spokesman Andrew Longeteig said in a statement.

Vestas' board of directors announced that Anders Runevad will replace Ditlev Engel, who has led the company for the past eight years. Runevad will officially take over Sept. 1.

"Due to customer demand, we are gradually growing our employee base at our Brighton and Windsor blade factories, and we expect our tower factory in Pueblo to be fully utilized in 2014. We expect our two blade factories and nacelle factory in Brighton will grow with the market as new orders are secured," Longeteig wrote in an email in response to questions from the Greeley Tribune (http://tinyurl.com/lq4slr9).

The company released its second quarter financial statements Wednesday, noting a 26 percent decrease in revenue over the year and a 46 percent drop in products being delivered.

Vestas has four plants in Colorado and has been on a two-year restructuring plan since 2011. Part of that plan meant cutting 6,720 employees by the end of this year.

The company has said orders for wind turbines are expected to pick up dramatically in the United States before the end of this year as demand for renewable energy increases and electrical production improves.

So far this year, Vestas received North American orders for 140 turbines, 131 of from Canada and Mexico. In the United States, only nine turbines were ordered, compared to 1,313 in 2011.

Information from: Greeley Daily Tribune, https://www.greeleytribune.com/

More in Energy