MARCH 15, 2013 — Björn Rosengren, President & CEO of Wärtsilä Corporation says the company is further strengthening its presence in Brazil "to respond to the ongoing demand for Wärtsilä power solutions, and to meet the set local content requirements."

The company is to set up a new fully-owned manufacturing facility in Brazil to meet the increasing market demand, particularly in the offshore market. Wärtsilä's investment in the new facilities is approximately EUR 20 million.

The manufacturing premises will be based on a multi-product factory concept for the assembly and testing of Wärtsilä generating sets and propulsion products. In the initial phase, activities will focus on medium sized, medium speed generating sets and steerable thrusters, with the possibility to flexibly expand the product range to respond to market needs.

The new manufacturing plant will be located some 300 km north of Rio de Janeiro in the Açu Superport Industrial Complex. The construction of the 4000 square meter plant, with its own waterfront and quay, will commence in April 2013 and it is scheduled to be fully operational by mid 2014. The new delivery centre is expected to employ close to 100 people.