Nation’s First Great Lakes WIND Network™ Center of Excellence Announced

In January, 2010, the Great Lakes WIND Network named the Advanced Manufacturing Institute at Kansas State University as its first-in-the-nation Center of Excellence to expand GLWN’s supply chain development efforts across the Great Plains.

As wind energy original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and component suppliers continue to expand across the U.S. market there is a growing need to develop the component supply chain in order to increase industry capacity, reduce logistic costs, and increase U.S. manufactured content. GLWN has established a worldwide reputation in working with OEMs to assess readiness and capabilities of prospective component suppliers who wish to enter the wind industry’s manufacturing supply chain. The organization also serves as a valuable resource to industry OEMs by connecting them with competitive component suppliers across the United States.

In an effort to respond to these rapidly growing needs, the organization has announced the development of its Great Lakes WIND Network™ Centers of Excellence strategic initiative. “Across the nation, demand for GLWN services has been increasing at an amazing rate”, said Ed Weston, GLWN Director. “Our leadership team decided the most effective and industry responsive growth model for our organization is to develop strong partnerships with proven regional technical resources that can not only co-deliver our services, but also provide much deeper insights into a region’s manufacturing capabilities. AMI was identified as the technical resource that had taken the lead on developing the supply chain effort across Kansas and would serve as the exemplary extension of GLWN.” GLWN expects to establish a limited number of designated Centers of Excellence that serve key regions of the country where the wind industry is actively making new manufacturing investments and/or existing manufacturers are actively pursuing industry participation.

AMI is a department within the College of Engineering at Kansas State University which provides engineering and business services to manufacturers and entrepreneurs. AMI’s engineering staff will work directly with GLWN staff to provide site assessments for manufacturers wishing to enter the wind industry supply chain, make recommendations on possible components to be supplied, and assess the organizations overall production system. Additionally, the partnership will enable companies who have met suitable criteria to participate in the GLWN Wind Alert System which informs potential suppliers when an OEM or upper tier supplier is sourcing a specific component that they are capable of producing.

“Kansas is uniquely positioned to take advantage of its extensive manufacturing industry and abundant natural wind resources. This partnership will support our existing manufacturers and help them enter this growing industry and exemplify the state’s commitment to prospective future manufacturers,” stated Steve Kelly, Deputy Secretary, Kansas Department of Commerce. “We are extremely pleased that GLWN has selected AMI as its launch partner to expand its supply chain development efforts for the wind industry.”