Flender India has installed a wind turbine gearbox testing facility at its Walajabad plant near Chennai, expanding its capability to validate gearboxes for higher-capacity wind turbines. The testing infrastructure is designed to handle gearboxes for turbines with capacities of up to 13.5 megawatt (MW).
The test rig was built with an investment of about EUR 8 million to EUR 10 million and is designed to test gearboxes for turbines with capacities up to 13.5 MW. The facility forms part of the company’s efforts to prepare for the increasing turbine capacities expected in the Indian wind energy sector.
The Walajabad installation is the company’s highest-capacity wind gearbox testing facility in India. In addition to testing, the infrastructure will support the development and prototyping of new gearbox types for both local and international markets, enabling product development activities to be carried out locally.
Flender operates three other gearbox testing benches in India, though these have lower testing capacities than the new Walajabad rig.
Around 50 percent of Flender’s manufacturing capacity in India is exported to markets including the United States, Europe and Australia, while the remaining output supplies original equipment manufacturers in the domestic market.
The company operates a parts manufacturing facility in Kharagpur and an assembly unit in Chennai. Over the past three to four years, Flender has invested about EUR 100 million in its facilities in India.
Future investment plans include establishing a parts manufacturing facility near Walajabad and a dedicated generator manufacturing unit in Chennai.
Flender’s manufacturing footprint across India, China and Europe allows it to move production and supply across regions when required.
Flender India manufactures gearboxes and related components for wind turbines and also produces mechanical drive systems for industrial sectors including mining, automotive and cement. The company is a subsidiary of Germany-based Flender GmbH.
