Rising Global Demand for Wind Energy Systems Requires More Flexible Supply Chains

Building renewable energy systems and smart grids to power the world is quickly evolving from an aspirational goal into reality. McKinsey & Company reports that “wind and solar accounted for more than half of new power generation capacity additions in recent years” and predicts “renewables will continue to penetrate the global energy mix with solar and wind generation expected to increase by a factor of 60 and 13, respectively, from 2015 to 2050.”^[1]

This rising demand creates exciting new growth opportunities for wind power systems manufacturers. Seizing those opportunities requires navigating the complexities of building reliable products at competitive costs while complying with local regulatory, content and safety requirements. That’s why forward-looking original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) turn to Celestica for help building right-sized, sustainable supply chains that provide them with a distinct competitive advantage.

The smart energy industry operates in what Celestica calls the Acceleration Economy. Change is coming at manufacturers and their partners faster than ever. It’s a new era defined by a steady stream of emerging technologies, globalized innovation and competition, and sky-high customer expectations. Success demands forming supply chain partnerships that enable OEMs to focus on innovation and shortening the development and shipping of new products worldwide. 

As wind turbines increase in size, their electronics systems become more complex. Combine that with the need to plan for massive demand volatility on existing projects while simultaneously bidding on projects many years in advance at committed pricing, and it’s easy to see how the pressure to lower the overall cost of operations, ensure product reliability and maintain speed-to-market only grows more intense.  

Forward-thinking OEMs are prioritizing the re-assessment of core and non-core activities to help them develop new supply chain and outsourcing models. That’s where Celestica comes in. 

We have 25 years of experience in delivering strategic supply chain solutions for the world’s best brands. With more than a decade of experience in renewable energy, we understand the market and supply chain challenges energy OEMs are facing and help ensure they get to market quickly, cost effectively and at the right quality and reliability levels.

Here are some of the ways Celestica is helping our customers think bigger and reach further to unlock the potential of their business.

Advancing Innovation for Long-Term Growth 
Renewable energy OEMs are always looking ahead to how market demand is changing and technology is advancing. Offloading non-competitive manufacturing operations and inventory to Celestica ensures they can focus their energy and capital on accelerating innovation to meet customer expectations and their long-term strategic growth.

Celestica also takes the lead in using long-term strategic operations solutions to reinvent our customers’ supply chain models. These solutions enable significant balance sheet and year-over-year cost benefits without impacting continuity of supply or customer commitments – making the supply chain much more resilient to disruption.

A Global Network 
Increasing demand, evolving technology and government legislation all drive the emergence of new growth markets. Celestica’s global network of in-region production facilities enable renewable energy OEMs to capitalize on these opportunities by expanding quickly into new markets. They can ramp up quickly without a large up-front capital and workforce investment, while benefiting from Celestica’s deep operational experience, and investments in globally integrated quality management and IT solutions.   

Addressing the Product Lifecycle from A-to-Z
Celestica drives value through the complete product lifecycle. Our customers consider us a seamless extension of their own teams, working together to solve complex technology challenges, and meet market and safety requirements. We help them manage long-term product continuity through value engineering solutions, reliability and ruggedization programs, and fulfillment, logistics and after-market services.

The demand for clean, renewable energy worldwide is growing rapidly, and renewable energy OEMs are working furiously to develop, build and ship innovative systems to meet that demand. Celestica supports their efforts by optimizing their supply chains, driving lower operational and inventory costs, and accelerating innovation. We help our customers think bigger and reach further to unlock their potential to build a sustainable future.

Learn more about our Smart Energy Solutions. 

^[1] “Global Energy Perspective 2019.” McKinsey & Company, https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/oil-and-gas/our-insights/global-energy-perspective-2019, accessed May 22, 2019.