An international wind turbine company’s struggles — and overall headwinds the onshore wind industry is facing — are having an impact on south-central Kansas. On Friday, Siemens Gamesa announced its nacelle assembly facility in Hutchison and its blade manufacturing plant in Fort Madison, Iowa, will be put into “temporary hibernation” in July and June, respectively, due to what the company called “production demand” issues in the U.S. onshore market. Ninety-two employees in Hutchinson and 171 in Forth Madison are being laid off. “The hibernation of our manufacturing and assembly facilities is an unfortunate but necessary measure to address the current challenges in the U.S. onshore wind market,” said Shannon Sturgil, the company’s CEO of Onshore North America, in a news release. “We continue to pursue new orders and remain fully committed to finding a path in support of our Fort Madison and Hutchinson manufacturing facilities.”
Source: Wichita Business Journal
