Wärtsilä is a Finnish manufacturer of large diesel and gas engines for use in powering ships and electricity generation. The company's headquarters are located in Helsinki. The core business of Wärtsilä is marine diesel engines, but its engines are also widely used in diesel-powered power plants. It employed 18,810 workers as of 2008.
History
- 1834
- Establishment in the municipality of Tohmajärvi.
- 1936
- Acquisition of the Onkilahti engineering workshop in Vaasa.
- 1965
- The company is renamed Oy Wärtsilä Ab.
- 1898
- The sawmill and iron works company is renamed Wärtsilä Ab.
- 1938
- Wärtsilä signs a licence agreement and the first diesel engine is built in Turku in 1942.
- 1978
- Acquisition of 51% of the NOHAB diesel business, the remaining shares are acquired in 1984.
- 1981
- Manufacured hovercraft Larus
- 1988
- A company is set up in India and floated on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
- 1990
- Merged into Lohja Corporation, later renamed Metra Corporation.
- 1984
- Quoted on the London stock exchange.
- 1989
- Wärtsilä Diesel acquires SACM and Stork Werkspoor B.V. This company is renamed Stork-Wärtsilä Diesel B.V.
- 1991
- Imatra Steel is created when Ovako AB is split up between its owners, Metra and SKF.
- 1995
- Wärtsilä Diesel and Cummins Engine Company Inc. set up a joint venture.
- 1997
- In April, Wärtsilä Diesel absorbed the former Swiss-based Sulzer Brothers Ltd. division called New Sulzer Diesel (NSD) to form Wärtsilä NSD. The reference to the name "Sulzer" is until q1-2006 used in the designation of engines Wärtsilä inherited from the absorption of New Sulzer Diesel. Wärtsilä NSD Corporation is created.
- 1999
- The split of the Cummins-Wärtsilä joint venture.
- 2000
- Wärtsilä NSD and John Crane-Lips sign an alliance. Metra group is renamed as Wärtsilä Corporation.
- 2001
- Wärtsilä sells its holding in Sanitec. Wärtsilä takes ownership of service company Ciserv AB and Sermet Oy.
- 2002
- The Ciserv-group, led by Mr.Pierpaolo Barbone, expanded in Singapore, Denmark and Canada. Wärtsilä acquired John Crane-Lips, which operates within Wärtsilä under the name Wärtsilä Propulsion.
- 2004
- Wärtsilä’s Chinese propeller company started production.
- 2005
- Wärtsilä acquires DEUTZ-marine engine service business.
- 2006
- The Ciserv-group was integrated into the Wartsila Services organisation. Wärtsilä let go the brand names Ciserv and Sulzer, both will continue as Wärtsilä.
- 2007
- Wärtsilä Ship Power was reorganised into five Ship Power customer segments: Merchant, Offshore, Cruise&Ferry, Navy and Special vessels.
- 2008
- Wärtsilä acquires the global ship design group Vik-Sandvik and Conan Wu & Associates Pte Ltd (CWA), a leading naval architecture and ship design company in Singapore.
Source : 2006 Corporate presentation and History of Wärtsilä
Range
Wärtsilä engines are mainly used for marine propulsion and for electricity generation. The engines which Wärtsilä produces range from the 4L20, a four-stroke, medium-speed engine producing 720 kW (980 HP), to the Wärtsilä-Sulzer RT-flex96-C two-stroke diesel engine series which, in 2006, was reported[by whom?] as being one of the most powerful yet most compact prime-movers in the world. This model has a cylinder bore of 960 mm (37.8 in) and stroke of 2500 mm (98.4 in). The largest version produces up to 80,080 kW (107,400 HP) in the 14-cylinder configuration. These engines are used to propel large container ships, such as those of the A. P. Moller-Maersk Group. The vessels are known as the E-class ships; Emma Maersk was the first.
Wärtsilä produces a full line of four-stroke medium-speed engines, many of which are multi-fuel capable (diesel fuel, heavy fuel oil, vegetable oils, and natural gas) ranging up to the 20V46F which produces 23,000 kW (30,820 HP) operating at 600 RPM.
Wärtsilä also offers a full line of two-stroke, low-speed engines, ranging from approximately 3860 kW (5250 HP) up to 80,080 kW (107,400 HP). The two-stroke units are compact, and generate excellent power for their weight. However, on a per-horsepower basis, they also produce substantially more emissions than four-stroke units. [2]
Key figures
The company had net sales in 2008 of €4.612 billion (23% higher than fiscal year 2007). Operating result was €525 million. R&D expenses at the company in 2008 were €121 million.
Criticisms
Wärtsilä is apprehended up in Sweden's biggest ever bribery trial, according to local dailies and to the public prosecutor, "it is clear that Wärtsilä suggested bribes to protected orders". Wärtsilä admits the payments but states these were for conferring services. Wärtsilä resolved two brokerage affirmations with Euro Marine Ltd. This business was comprised and partially belongs to by the major suppose in the corruption case, Bo Pettersson, who assisted as Technical Director at the boats company. Wärtsilä paid somewhere around EUR 1.1 million in two instalments in 2000 and 2001 to Pettersson's personal Swiss bank account.[3]
Wärtsilä found not guilty in all instances in the so-called Gotland case
The Finnish subsidiary of Wärtsilä Corporation and one of its employees were charged for bribery in 2006, for allegedly paying unlawful commissions. The following court proceedings ended with both the company and the employee being cleared in all instances, when the Supreme Court of Finland decided on 3.7. 2007 not to grant the state prosecutor leave to appeal the case. [4]
References
See also
External links
