Asia Pacific: Norsepower expands operations with new factory in China, eyes global growth

Wind propulsion technology company Norsepower is ramping up its global operations with the launch of a new factory in China. The factory, which began operating in August, marks a significant step in the company’s growth strategy. It will initially have the capacity to produce 50 rotor sails annually, with plans to scale up to 100 units per year to meet increasing global demand, Bunkerspot reports.

The new facility is strategically located near Dafeng Port, 250 kilometres north of Shanghai, providing a logistic link for the company’s expansion plans. Norsepower aims for its new factory concept to be replicable in a standardised manner which they hope will allow for improved lead times and quality control.

The company has also hinted at the possibility of replicating this factory model in other locations worldwide, depending on market demand.

Jukka Kuuskoski, Chief Sales Officer at Norsepower, commented on the company’s growth trajectory: ‘We are starting to see the wind propulsion market booming. We expected this would happen. But its evident that the market is now much more active than two years ago.’

The company has seen a sharp increase in orders, with an order backlog of 34 rotor sails to be installed on nearly 20 ships by the end of 2025. This is a significant jump from the 18 units installed on eight ships over the first ten years of the company’s operations.

In addition to its production expansion, Norsepower is actively collaborating with shipbuilders in China and other regions, with several orders from Chinese shipyards already in progress.

The company is also exploring new markets and plans to expand its manufacturing footprint globally as the demand for decarbonisation in the shipping industry continues to grow.