The Switch was established in 2006. So, this year, we’re celebrating 15 years of permanent performance with our customers, suppliers and other partners.
I have participated in this journey since 2010 – and a lot has happened around us and within the company. The Switch started as the pioneer to promote and deliver permanent magnet (PM) generators and full-power converters to the wind power market.
The wind business has been the main driver for our growth. Our activities started to accelerate by selling converters mainly to customers in China. But today, our business consists primarily of supplying PM generators to Europe.
For the past 10 years, we have also promoted PM technology to marine applications and have reached the position of being a leading PM-based direct-drive shaft generator supplier together with our system integrators.
High-speed solid rotor machines have also been our passion from the beginning. We believe that there will be a number of new and interesting electrification and energy efficiency applications for this technology in the emerging clean energy transition, fueled by green hydrogen.
You can read about our major milestones during these first 15 years and other interesting stories in this newsletter.
Miika
Division President & Chairman of the Board
15 milestones in our first 15 years
- 2006 – The Switch is founded and becomes 1st 100%-dedicated PMG and full-power converter technology champion for wind power.
- 2007 – Serial deliveries of direct-drive PMGs begin for ScanWind’s 3 MW nearshore wind turbine.
- 2007 – The Switch and MAN Turbo start testing their jointly developed 8 MW subsea high-speed gas compressor.
- 2008 – 1st breakthrough deal for Goldwind’s 1.5 MW wind power converters.
- 2010 – Moventas and The Switch launch FusionDrive™ – a fully integrated medium-speed gear and generator.
- 2012 – New full-power converter series for wind with world-class fault ride-through capability.
- 2013 – Successful commissioning of The Switch drive trains for Haizhuang Windpower’s 5 MW offshore turbine.
- 2014 – Installation of 1st commercial 8 MW offshore turbine with The Switch medium-speed PMG. The Switch enters marine business and signs deal with WE Tech for permanent magnet shaft generators.
- 2014 – Yaskawa Electric Corporation acquires 100% of The Switch companies.
- 2015 – Over 6,000 liquid-cooled, full-power converter deliveries reached for Goldwind’s 1.5 MW turbine.
- 2016 – The Switch acquires Wärtsilä Norway-based marine power drive business. More than 1,300 marine drives in operation.
- 2018 – MAN Energy launches Electric Turbo Blower (ETB) powered by The Switch high-speed solid rotor machine. The Switch becomes the Environmental Energy Division of Yaskawa Europe.
- 2020 – The Switch signs a deal with Caterpillar/Berg Propulsion for direct-drive electric propulsion machines and gensets.
- 2020 – Launch of Large Drive Test Center in Lappeenranta, Finland, with testing capability of 18 MW.
- 2021 – The Switch becomes leading PM shaft generator supplier with over 100 permanent magnet shaft generators delivered.
And also
- More than 600 medium-speed PM generators have been delivered for offshore turbines.
- The Switch high-speed solid rotor motors have been operating for more than 10 million hours, and over 10 years, in tough applications – with zero rotor defects.
- Over 20 GW of megawatt-class environmental energy technology delivered in 15 years worldwide – wind, marine and industry.
Make the next milestone with us!