Yaskawa Electric Corporation, a company in motion control and robotics, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire The Switch, a supplier of megawatt-class permanent magnet generator and full-power converter packages for wind power and other renewable energy applications. The estimated schedule for closing the deal is within a few weeks. The Switch brand will continue as its own entity for seleced markets and applications.
The Japan-based Yaskawa System Engineering Division has been focusing on growing its market share in renewable, marine and industrial applications over the past few years. In autumn 2013, the two companies entered a strategic collaboration agreement wherby Yaskawa gained access to The Switch’s proven capability in megawatt-class power generation and The Switch was able to develop its presence in Japan.
“This acquisition is a natural next step forward fro our initial strategic collaboration. Over the months, we have learned more about our strengths and now understand better how to leverage our synergies,” said Hiroyuki Ougi, Yaskawa’s Corporate Senior Vice President, General Manager, System Engineering Division.
The product portfolios of The Switch and Yaskawa complement each other for applications in renewables, marine and industry. Permanent magnet (PM) machines and low-voltage converters from The Switch range from 500 kW to 8.0+ MW, wheras Yaskawa offers medium-voltage converters that extend the offering to large wind turbines and other applications. Yaskawa’s global network will be used to promote The Switch’s products in wind power, marine and industrial applications.
“From our customers’ point of view, this acquisition ensures global availability of The Switch offering. Yaskawa is an industrial company that understands our strengths and shares our strategic views. With close cooperation with Yaskawa group we can further extend our offering and can serve better our customers in a broader range of wind and marine applications as well as numerous other industrial applications,” said Jukka-Pekka M?kinen, President and CEO of The Switch.
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