ZF Services has announced the completed installation of the 2.5MW test bench at its Vernon Hills, Ill., Wind Service Center. The project, which began with construction in September of 2012, is the result of a $1.6 million grant. Scott Gardiner, director of Wind Services North America, thanked the state of Illinois for the grant.

The recently completed test bench will be able to test more than 200 gearboxes annually. ZF Services LLC launched this new project with an open house on May 8, hosting customers and local vendors at the Vernon Hills facility to showcase the test bench, the redesigned facility and the extensive portfolio of technical possibilities available as a result. The new test bench and redesigned facility now allow the company to offer an even wider range of services, providing a tailor-made, one-stop-shop approach for multi brand gearbox and mechanical drivetrain repair, ZF says.

This new wind service offering will be added to the wide breadth of the complete service offerings that ZF Services already makes available to its customers. The company has been present in the region for more than 35 years, and the company says its customers can continue to anticipate great customer service. The centrally located facility has a dedicated 20-person wind service team out of a facility with 250 employees servicing customer needs, including field technicians for on-site up-tower repairs. Through a close link to the ZF Wind Power research and development team in Lommel, Belgium, ZF Services LLC has access to continuous ongoing developments to support customer requirements in repairs and gearbox enhancements. The regional wind service center at ZF Services LLC will be stocking genuine spare parts and exchange gearboxes covering the full product range of ZF Wind Power.

With more than 7,000 ZF gearboxes installed in North America, ZF designed the wind service facility to service this large installed base of ZF gearboxes as well as other multi-brand products. The ZF Services LLC Vernon Hills facility is now one of ZF’s eight wind service locations worldwide, with six having load testing capabilities.

“The ZF Services Vernon Hills service organization continues to grow as evidenced by our recent investments in the facility, equipment and personnel over the past three years," said Gardiner. "Our North American Wind industry customers will have the same great service experience that our other industry customers received in this region over the past 35 years.”