Finland: Moventas to Rebrand Its Industrial Gear Business

Business & Finance

Finland Moventas to Rebrand Its Industrial Gear Business

Moventas is preparing to rebrand its industrial gear business, and to run the two core businesses more independently of each other than before, in order to better serve its customers in both segments.

The company’s legal structure will remain as it is, but its operational structure will be developed to enable more flexibility in fulfilling customer needs on a global scale for both businesses.

The renowned Santasalo brand will now be reintroduced by making it Moventas’ industrial gear brand. Moventas, a recognised brand in the renewables industry, will remain as the wind industry brand. Moventas’ after sales business will be branded Santasalo Moventas, which will also be the company’s new corporate identity. Both the rebranding and the related operational changes will take place by the end of the year.

Santasalo is Moventas’ predecessor and a major part of the Moventas history and legacy since the 1940’s. Santasalo is a Moventas-owned trademark. With industrial gear manufacturing facilities in Germany, Finland and China and a network of nine service and repair facilities globally, the Industrial Gears business is an important contributor to the Moventas business. Recent investments in new service centres, additional sales resource and some exciting new product developments provide a strong platform for further growth in the Santasalo business.

 – Reintroducing the Santasalo brand in our customer dialog and investing more on our customer relationship will very much support our Industrial Gears business. Santasalo is a valuable asset, with positive and wide brand recognition globally. The name has a long heritage and great value that will now be fully harnessed, says Moventas’ Industrial Gears SVP Gerwin Klaner .

 – The wind market has specific requirements that differ from other industrial gear markets. Our strategy concentrates fully on innovative technologies to serve customers as a strong onshore gearbox and service provider and to become the leading offshore wind gearbox supplier. This upcoming change and the recent acquisition of David Brown’s wind business both support achieving our goals, comments Wind Gears SVP Arto Lahtela .

As part of the upcoming operational arrangements, Moventas Group President & CEO Mikael Laine has set forth his resignation.

– Moventas will be developed further as two independent business areas to gain better focus for both businesses. I strongly support this logical development, Laine comments.

Moventas’ Industrial Gears and Wind Gears business areas will be led by the current Senior Vice Presidents, Gerwin Klaner and Arto Lahtela. In addition, the owner’s representatives and Moventas Board members Alex Stewart and Gavin McCallum from Clyde Blowers will also take a more leading and operative role in the implementation of the differentiation plan.

Mikael Laine continues to support the Moventas Board until the end of November 2013.

[mappress]

Press release, September 17, 2013; Image: moventas