Peter Grant, leader of Fife Council, Lena Wilson, CEO Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s First Minister, Alex Salmond, Mr Insik Roh, CEO Samsung Heavy Industries, Jim McColl, Chairman & CEO Clyde Blowers and Mr Choo Kyu-Ho, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea

DAVID BROWN ANNOUNCES MAJOR WIND CONTRACT WITH SAMSUNG HEAVY INDUSTRIES

David Brown is delighted to announce the signing of a multimillion pound contract with major South Korean company Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI) to design, develop and manufacture an innovative new gear system for the next generation of offshore wind turbines.

The contract is the first part of a long-term supply collaboration between David Brown and SHI and will see David Brown design an innovative new 7MW wind turbine gearbox that will, through its low weight and compact, modular architecture, improve through-life costs and ultimately the cost of energy for wind turbine operators globally. The gearbox will be specifically configured to optimise SHI’s wind turbine generator as a whole, making it highly reliable, power efficient and less expensive to maintain than existing solutions.

Ian Farquhar, Managing Director Wind Energy at David Brown said: "This is the first step in a long-term collaboration and we are delighted that SHI has chosen us as its partner. Offshore wind is set to be a major renewable energy growth area and SHI’s commitment to develop its wind turbines alongside a major UK gear manufacturer signals a major boost to the UK supply chain, not only in terms of immediate supply partners but additionally, the wider opportunities that will develop as a result of the partnership."

This announcement follows the recent news that David Brown has been granted planning per-mission to build a world class wind turbine gearbox research and innovation centre and centre of excellence for gear manufacture in Mirfield, Yorkshire. The new state of the art facility signifies a key stage in David Brown’s UK offshore wind supply chain strategy and will supply components to planned coastal assembly facilities.

Ian continues: "At David Brown we strive to be experts in the gearing technologies of tomorrow, whether it’s in energy, transport or industry and this is a great chance for us to showcase our ex-pertise. We are already working closely with SHI to develop a design that meets their require-ments for innovation in both technology and market compatibility. The first step is the delivery and testing of prototypes in the coming year. The new Mirfield facility and planned costal assembly facilities mean that we will be able meet their requirements in terms of delivery and timescales for full production."

As part of a global business David Brown has to compete on a global scale. Given the global economic challenges and a severe downturn in its defence work in recent years David Brown has been actively developing and restructuring its UK capabilities around expansion in key global growth markets including renewable industries such as wind. The business has been working closely with Kirklees Council and the UK government to enable its future growth plans.

Sungyong Han, Executive Vice President of Wind Turbine Development and Production at Samsung Heavy Industries said: "Samsung Heavy Industries is delighted to be partnering with David Brown for the development of the gearbox for the new cutting edge offshore wind turbine. Re-nowned worldwide for its superior expertise in gear system technology with an outstanding record and a history second to none, David Brown fortifies Samsung‘s confidence in the new offshore wind turbine and its technology."

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For further information, please contact:
Email:communications@davidbrown.com