Flender India, part of the Germany-headquartered Flender Group, has commissioned what it called as India’s largest and most advanced test rig for wind-power gearboxes, at its Walajabad facility near Chennai, marking a significant leap in the country’s renewable energy engineering capabilities.
The milestone project was formally launched by Andreas Evertz, Group CEO of Flender GmbH, in the presence of Vinod Shetty, CEO of Flender India, along with senior members of the global design and development leadership team, including Lars Wiegemann.
Engineering a New Standard
The electric series Back & Back Test Rig was conceptualized and commissioned drawing on Flender’s more than 120 years of expertise in wind turbine drive technology. Technically, the new rig establishes a new performance benchmark in the domestic wind energy ecosystem.
The centre support of the test rig is engineered to transmit torque of up to 18,000 kNm, while the plate field is designed to withstand tensile and compressive forces of up to 500 tonnes. These specifications position the facility to test next-generation, high-capacity wind gearboxes critical for modern, large-scale wind turbines.
A 13-Month Global Collaboration
The project commenced in January 2025 at Flender’s Voerde site and was successfully completed within approximately 13 months, a testament to seamless international collaboration and execution excellence. The final assembly and commissioning were completed in roughly three months through coordinated efforts between the German assembly team, Indian contractors, and Flender India’s workforce. The project underscores the company’s ability to deliver highly complex, precision-driven test bench solutions through global synergy.
Reinforcing Commitment To Renewable Energy
Flender GmbH Group CEO Andreas Evertz said, “Inaugurating India’s largest wind gearbox Test Rig underscores our commitment to advancing renewable energy solutions globally.” With the commissioning of this advanced test infrastructure, Flender India enhances its capability to validate and optimize high-performance wind gearboxes domestically, reducing dependency on overseas testing and accelerating time-to-market for wind turbine manufacturers.
Flender India CEO Vinod Shetty said:“With the inauguration of India’s largest Test Rig for wind gearboxes, we reinforce our commitment towards sustainable energy transition.”