Denmark-headquartered LJM (Lind Jensens Maskinfabrik), a leading manufacturer of high-quality hydraulic cylinders, has set up a new factory at Oragadam near Chennai to supply parts for wind energy OEMs. This will be the company’s second factory in Asia after the China unit. 

The company has made an initial investment of about €2 million in the new unit, which will produce hydraulic pitch and lock cylinders and accumulators for the wind turbine industry. The factory, which has come upon a 4500–5000 sq m area, is expected to start trial production by July, while full production will commence during the third quarter of this calendar year. It is expected to employ 40–50 workers in the initial phase. 

While the factory will initially supply to Vestas, one of its major OEM customers globally, it will also look into opportunities to supply other companies. 

“We follow the wind turbine OEMs to set up shops and supply the parts. We see a great opportunity to set up the unit here given the long-term potential not just in the wind turbine segment but also in other sectors. We have an agreement with some of the big wind turbine OEMs, such as Vestas, ”Martin Anderson, CEO of LJM, Denmark, told BusinessLine. 

“As companies relocate to countries like India, we expect that Indian operations will become an export hub for regions such as North America, South America and Europe in the future,” he added. 

“We are happy and proud to see a machinery company like Lind Jensen coming to India, especially to Tamil Nadu, which is a wind hub in India, both for domestic needs and exports out of India. We see this investment as part of building the supply chain for the wind industry. We see policy frameworks emerging from both the Central and State governments to promote and support wind energy. To achieve the $5 trillion economy goal of India, energy needs have to be met and the country needs to build a global supply chain here,” the Danish Ambassador to India, H. E. Freddy Svane, said during the discussion with BusinessLine. 

With enormous potential, India could have a mix of onshore and offshore wind energy to meet its power requirements and the government should promote India to become a hub for exports, he added. 

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