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Virginia Transformer Inaugurates New Plant

VIRGINIA TRANSFORMER INAUGURATES NEW PLANT: 

THE MOST SOPHISTICATED IN NORTH AMERICA

 

VTC’s 5th Manufacturing Plant Will Further Extend Its Position of Shortest Lead Times in the Industry.

CHIHUAHUA, Mexico and ROANOKE, Va. (Feb. 10, 2023) – Virginia Transformer officially inaugurated its fifth manufacturing facility in North America today. The new plant, located in Chihuahua, Mexico, has been in operation since October 2022 and was officially opened during a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by Virginia Transformer CEO/CTO Prabhat Jain, company customers, sales representatives, vendors, employees, and state and elected officials including Chihuahua mayor, Marco Bonilla and ministers.

The new plant is the most technologically advanced transformer facility for reliability in North America and will further extend the company’s leadership in having the shortest lead times in the industry.   Virginia Transformer can deliver a made-to-specification, state-of-the-art transformer in less than half the time of its competitors.

“Virginia Transformer is thankful that our customers, representatives, vendors, and the governor and mayor were able to join us in this celebration today,” said Prabhat Jain. “We have a new generation facility led by dedicated employees, building upon the more than 50-year legacy of excellence, all with a focus on serving our customers.

“To see the faces of our employees on this special day – opening the best transformer facility in North America and knowing it will create good jobs and contribute to the community and the industry is equally gratifying,” said Jain. “The process from concept to production took only 15 months. The Chihuahua team pulled together to make this happen and it is wonderful to see the pride they take in serving our customers throughout North America.”

The new plant (P2) is situated on 300,000 square feet with room for expansion. It joins Virginia Transformer’s original Chihuahua plant (P1), which opened in 1995. The new facility employs more than 450 people, including more than 100 engineers.

The plant has enormous capabilities and was designed for flexibility. It includes an in-house advanced design center, vapor-phase drying ovens, and an automated test lab. The new facility is fully temperature- and humidity-controlled and features:

  • Four production lines for E2X oil-filled transformers up to 7 MVA.
  • Dry-type transformers up to 7 MVA, 35 kV, 150 BIL.
  • Integrated Power Module (IPM) production.
  • Heavy-duty robotic carts for material delivery to shop floor, coil and core landing, and transformer transport through to final assembly (no forklifts).
  • A class-7 clean room for the winding and assembly process.

The new Chihuahua P2 capability is up to 100 MVA, 950 BIL for utility, industrial and renewable markets.

Virginia Transformer, with a capacity of 67000 MVA, is the largest US manufacturer of Power Transformers in North America, with facilities in Pocatello, Idaho; Rincon, Georgia; Roanoke, Virginia; and now two plants in Chihuahua, Mexico.

DOE Secretary Granholm and Senator Kaine cut ribbon on EV Charging

Virginia Transformer Corp. (VTC), the Roanoke-based manufacturer of power transformers, today announced it has entered the electric vehicle charging market with the launch of its (E2V) Integrated Power Solution.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Roanoke’s Virginia Transformer Corp. (VTC) Enters Electric Vehicle Charging Market
Company Launches New E2V Integrated Power Solution

To Expand Its Troutville Facility; Create Two New Production Lines; Add 30 Jobs

Roanoke, Virginia – August 14, 2022 – Virginia Transformer Corp. (VTC), the Roanoke-based manufacturer of power transformers, today announced it has entered the electric vehicle charging market with the launch of its (E2V) Integrated Power Solution.

“Electric vehicle infrastructure is rapidly expanding as the United States strives to achieve net-zero emissions targets. By 2030 it is estimated 48 million electric vehicles will be in use in the U.S., supported by 30 million charging stations,” said Prabhat K Jain, CEO and CTO of Virginia Transformer.

“As the largest U.S.-owned power transformer manufacturer in North America, Virginia Transformer has a reputation for designing and building innovative solutions for flexible deployment. With 50 years of experience and the industry’s shortest lead time, the EV market is a natural fit for us, and we are actively engaged to help the country build the needed infrastructure,” he added.

Virginia Transformer’s E2V solution was designed and developed at its world headquarters here in Roanoke. A team of engineers, product development leaders, and quality control experts from Roanoke helped scope and implement the first protype. Plans call for the Company’s nearby facility in Troutville, VA to be central to production as production ramps up.

“Our team here in Roanoke saw the opportunity and how our technologies can meet the market’s needs, quickly developed a concept, and then moved to building our first protype which we’re showing to customers in the market to a very warm reception,” said Jain. “It’s exciting to see how the team seized an opportunity and are helping to address a real need in the country as the necessary infrastructure is built.”

More than a transformer, E2V is an integrated power solution that is a self-contained, plug-and-play power module. The uniqueness of E2V is the flexible configuration that enables users to build a scalable, integrated power module where they can be up and running faster than other options.

“EV infrastructure’s biggest challenges are procurement, logistics, coordination, and field integration. Virginia Transformer’s E2V solution addresses these issues by housing and connecting the main components (switchgear, transformer, breaker) into an integrated unit allowing us to quickly deliver a plug-and-play, easy-to-install, power solution supporting EV infrastructure’s rapid deployment across the U.S.,” said Jain.

“We are excited by both the opportunity this presents our employees and the community, but also helping to contribute to the reduction in transportation emissions for the good of our planet,” he added.

As a result, Virginia Transformer will transform its nearby Troutville, VA facility from being a component producer for other facilities, to a complete manufacturing facility delivering end products to Virginia Transformer customers.

To do this, the Company is in the process of building two complete production lines in Troutville that will make IPM and E2X offerings for its megamarkets businesses, including Electric Vehicle Charging, Data Centers, Battery Storage, and Bitcoin/Digital Currency. The Company anticipates beginning initial production on these lines this Fall and adding approximately 30 jobs across all functions to support the business in Troutville.

To learn more about Virginia Transformer’s E2V solution, visit www.vantransformer.com/ev-charging.com.

About VTC: Virginia Transformer Corp. is the largest US-owned power transformer manufacturer in North America and provides custom-engineered power transformers for bitcoin, data center, utilities, renewables, and specialty markets. Products range in power from 500kVA to 500MVA cores, up to 1,400MVA shell. Our mission is to deliver the perfect transformer for any application. To learn more, visit us at www.vatransformer.com.

VTC 50th Anniversary Press-Release

Major Player in U.S. Electrical Power Industry Celebrates Half Century of Service

Virginia manufacturer sees market leadership, global impact add to its success

 Roanoke, Va. (June 23, 2021) – In its 50-year history, Roanoke-based Virginia Transformer Corporation (VTC) has gone from producing small power transformers to become the largest United States-based power transformer OEM with the largest engineering team in the industry – a 1,500-person team – and five plants in North America. Its customers have included Fortune 500 companies such as Tesla, Chevron, Duke Energy, Edison International, and Siemens.

 In recognition of a half century of service and looking ahead toward the next 50 years, CEO Prabhat Jain announced two new corporate initiatives created to attract and retain top workforce talent as the company strives for continued growth.

  •  An employee financial aid fund to support workers experiencing temporary unexpected hardship such as illness.
  • A scholarship award for children of VTC employees to award funds for up to four years of college education.

 “As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, I want to reflect back on the last 50 years and recognize how we have traversed obstacles and reached industry-leading milestones,” said CEO Prabhat K. Jain. “In my 39 years as CEO here, I’ve realized that it’s the people, the focus on the customer, and the technology that brings us continued success, and I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

 An American-owned, Minority Business Enterprise, Virginia Transformer Corporation has leveraged the technical background of its leaders and engineers, giving them the agility to react faster to changing market demands and to the needs of customers and employees. At 50 years, VTC has powered the U.S. and the world, providing transformers to the likes of Walt Disney, FermiLab, Washington Metro, and NASA. In 2003, VTC came to the aid of the Army Corps of Engineers by designing, building, and shipping six 15-MVA transformers in just six weeks for the Gulf War rebuilding projects.  

 “Going forward, transformers will continue to be at the heart and soul of transforming energy from sources of creation to sources of consumption,” said President Anoop Nanda. “The United States’ aging energy infrastructure requires many assets to be replaced to enhance grid reliability and security, and Virginia Transformer is a key player in getting that done with 50 years of expertise and innovation.”

 By 1982, when Mr. Jain joined the company as President, VTC was mired in debt and still a minor player in the industry. “I came with one expectation – to lead a business,” Jain said. Under Jain’s leadership, VTC began to broaden and diversify its customer base and product line, developing new technologies and delivering high-reliability transformers with a 60-year service life – the longest in the industry, eventually becoming the market leader that it is today.

 About Virginia Transformer Corporation

 Virginia Transformer Corporation is the largest U.S.-based power transformer OEM and provides custom-engineered power transformers for utility, renewable energy, industrial, mining, oil and gas, commercial, institutional, specialty, and export markets. Products range in power from 500-kVA to 1400-MVA and up to 525 kV. Its goal is to deliver the perfect transformer for any application.

For more information, please visit https://www.vatransformer.com or contact:

 

Rajiv Kumar

P. 540.682.5213

e. Rajiv.Kumar@vatransformer.com

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The 50th Anniversary celebrations at Roanoke and Troutville facilities went very well.

Highlights:

  • Speech by Prabhat Jain capturing the significance and the journey to this milestone for VT-GT, stakeholders, and our nation
  • Proclamation by guest – Councilman Joe Cobb, on behalf of City – declaring 23rd June as Virginia Transformer Corporation day!
  • Talk by Roanoke Chamber of Commerce CEO – Joyce Waugh on the importance of VTC to the region and the partnership for the future
  • Broad participation and great engagement by salaried and shop employees. Plant Manager Tim Smith (VTCR) and Mark Spangler (VTCT) addressed the shop employees
  • 9 Displays – with write-ups and pictures – showcasing the 50- year journey – saw a lot of interest among employees, visiting dignitaries, and media
  • Food trucks with a variety of options – Pizza, Wings, Vegan, Gyros, Ice cream, etc. was well received
    • Cake Cutting Ceremony with visiting dignitaries
    • News media coverage and press release

50th Anniversary Celebrations at VTCR