China High Speed Transmission increasing service position for the States

China High Speed Transmission (CHST) is to build a $96m plant in Fort Worth, Texas to carry out repairs and maintenance on gearboxes for its US customers.

CHST – China’s largest maker of wind gearboxes, completed a deal to buy land for the facility last month.

CHST has seen a strong rise in demand from the US over the past year, with its first-half revenues from the American market more than doubling to 876m yuan and making up 28% of its total sales.

Last year it increased its US sales by 88%, largely thanks to its business with GE, its dominant overseas customer.

The Chinese firm already has a service centre in California, run by its US subsidiary, NGC Renewables. The new factory will allow it to provide more services and respond more quickly to its key customer, an investor relations official tells Recharge.

CHST is not currently planning to manufacture new gearboxes there, the official adds.

The company is planning to start operations in Texas in 2014. It is CHST’s first factory outside China.

The Hong Kong-listed company, known in China as NGC Transmission, produces gearboxes for 1.5MW, 2MW and 3MW wind turbines and is currently developing 5MW gearboxes for Chinese turbine makers.

“It is part of our long-term development strategy to become a global wind power gearbox supplier,” says the IR official.

CHST also counts European names such as Vestas, RePower, Nordex and Alstom among its customers, according to its first half year report.