Solo, round the world salior Mike Golding yesterday, 26 April, concluded his two-day visit to Gamesa facilities in Brazil, travelling from the company's head offices in Sao Paulo to its manufacturing plant in Camaçari (State of Bahía), which for the past year has produced Gamesa turbines.
At both locations he met with Gamesa employees and received an overview of the Brazilian wind energy market environment and Gamesa's targets in the region. Meanwhile, Golding outlined the link between the values of leadership, innovation, teamwork, passion for the customer and professional sport.
In 2011, Gamesa became the title sponsor of the Gamesa Sailing Team, which is led by Mike Golding. Since then, the yachtsman has since been busy preparing the 60-foot yacht he will use to compete in the Vendée Globe 2012-2013, solo, non-stop, around the world, having participated in European and transatlantic regattas, whilst gaining an in-depth understanding of the Gamesa project through his visits to factories and offices in the United States and China.
A key element of this sponsorship is to transform the Gamesa Sailing Team into an opportunity for fostering a new team spirit worldwide, and inspiring and motivating the hard work and business goals of a global corporation, which has a range of projects and operations in many countries.
During his visit to Gamesa's Camaçari factory, Mike Golding enjoyed a first-hand look at the assembly process for nacelles, used in the 2-MW turbines Gamesa is installing at the country's wind farms.
"This visit represents a new opportunity for gaining a better understanding of the work Gamesa has done in recent months in one of the world's most promising wind energy growth markets, Brazil," said Mike Golding.
During his visit, Golding was accompanied by Edgar Corrochano, Gamesa's Commercial & Project Manager for the Mercosur region: "Mike and the Gamesa Sailing Team project represent inspiration and the sport and technology challenge; values and tools with which we can find far-reaching synergies with the Gamesa project in the Brazilian market. His comments and vision of how to tackle challenges at critical times have been very useful to all of us. Projects like this one inspire the corporation to develop new skills."
"Mike has conveyed his passion and optimism about proactively achieving goals. His visit has been a very motivating experience for all of the factory's employees," said Rodrigo Riedel Ghigonetto, General Services Manager, following the sailor's presentation to employees.
Gamesa in Brazil
Brazilhas become one of Gamesa's leading growth markets in the short- and medium-term. The company has a manufacturing and sales presence in the country, from which it plans to expand its business into surrounding countries, including Uruguay and Chile.
Gamesa has orders to install a total of 330 MW at wind farms Iberdrola Renovables is developing in the states of Río Grande del Norte and Bahía, and at a Corporación Inveravante project (Dunas de Paracuru - Ceará state, totalling 42 MW).
Gamesa in 2011 increased its sales by 3.8 times (MW sold) in Latin American and Southern Cone countries (mainly Brazil, Mexico and Honduras), which accounted for 15% of the company's total sales.