Vestas-American Wind Technology, Inc. plans to add more than 1,000 workers to its Colorado factories over the next 18 months, according to the company.
The manufacturer's expansion includes about 750 new hires at its blade manufacturing plant in Brighton and 100 new hires at its blade plant in Windsor. The company also is seeking 167 workers for its turbine tower factory in Pueblo by the end of the year.
Vestas executives initially said they expected to employ 2,450 people by 2010. The company now hopes to have about 2,200 Colorado workers by the end of next year.
Vestas has already created more than 1,000 highly skilled manufacturing jobs to meet growing production needs at its three Colorado factories. Vestas' blade factory in Windsor, tower factory in Pueblo and nacelle factory in Brighton have been hiring to fill a variety of new jobs to prepare for several recently announced orders.
According to Martha Wyrsch, president of Vestas, the factories have been hiring quickly but with care in response to a number of announced orders in the U.S. and Canada.
These include a 250 MW order placed by Enbridge/Renewable Energy Systems Americas Inc. (RES Americas) for 139 V90-1.8 MW turbines to be installed in the Cedar Point Wind project in Colorado's Lincoln, Elbert and Arapahoe counties.
‘This latest order in Colorado is especially significant because it is local,’ Wyrsch said. ‘With this order, we will deliver local product -manufactured by a highly skilled, well-trained local workforce – that will be used to build the second-largest wind project in the state.’
SOURCE: Vestas
