FEBRUARY 27, 2013 — Wärtsilä is opening a new services workshop in Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, today. It says that the new facilities will strengthen its presence in Brazil and enable it to support its customers by offering a wide range of workshop services with rapid response times.

The new workshop will replace the company's current premises in São Cristóvão, Rio de Janeiro, and is designed to bring logistical advantages for the company and its customers. With 4,600 square meters of built area, the workshop will be the largest of its kind in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It will feature, among other things, a laboratory for automation and electronic fuel injection, as well as a dedicated marine thruster facility.

"The location is strategic, both for receiving components as well as for our deliveries, as Niterói is a hub for offshore services in Brazil," says Robson Campos, Managing Director for Wärtsilä Brazil. "This upgraded facility enables us to support our customers even better and service the increased number of installations, as predicted by our customers as well as by the oil exploration industry of Brazil."

In Niterói, the company will be able to provide services on a 24/7 basis, thus doubling its operational capability status. The scope of services will also be expanded to include repairs to large engines, and the maintenance of propulsion systems for ships.

"Propellers can weigh up to 80 tons. We have invested in the equipment needed to service such very large components in the most efficient and safe way," says Mr. Campos.

About 200 employees will work in the new workshop, 120 of whom are able to work offshore. The team will be connected to Wärtsilä's worldwide technical support and will join a network of international technicians able to support local projects all around the world.