It's exactly the kind of story Michigan needs to hear about a local company: A former auto-parts machine shop transforming itself into a new-economy, clean energy manufacturer and pulling the state toward a better future.
That's the story of Saginaw's
Merrill Technologies Group, which announced this week the first large, utility-scale wind turbine to be made in Michigan was ready and waiting for its customers.
In a ceremony that welcomed local and state notables including Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Merrill unveiled the 150-ton, 300-foot-tall wind turbine, which will soon travel to Stoney Point near Cadillac to supply electricity to about 250 residential customers of Detroit Edison.
"When we created the 21st Century Jobs Fund five years ago, our vision was to foster the next generation of innovative companies that would diversify Michigan's economy and create thousands of new, high-tech jobs for Michigan workers," Granholm says.
That's what Merrill Technologies has done. Its history began in 1968 as a machine shop turning out parts for General Motors. Now, along with partner Northern Power Systems, it's making and selling wind turbines to farms, schools and businesses in response to a huge national demand for environmentally-friendly energy. It's even working with NASA to provide wind power in remote places like the South Pole and the Indian Ocean.
The manufacturer was helped in its transformation by a $22 million clean energy tax credit under the federal Recovery Act, which went toward expanding and revamping its production facilities to build the giant wind turbines. The new direction also meant Merrill could recall laid-off employees and even hire a few new ones - -about 40 in all. The company hopes to add to that number as production increases.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Gov. Jennifer Granholm, State of Michigan
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