MEDIUM-SPEED ENGINES The aim of the CPS system is to eliminate
waste such as idle time, rework, and excess inventory, enabling customers to benefit from expanded production capacity and reduced lead times. There has been investment for employee
training and regular audits by marine classification societies at all facilities, with the purpose of enabling Caterpillar to achieve high manufacturing quality, and meeting international standards. Caterpillar’s Motoren centre in Kiel,
Germany, deals with the production of medium-speed MaK engines for propulsion and generator-set applications. Its re- organisation using CPS methodologies is claimed to have streamlined the assembly process of MaK M20C, M25, and M32C inline marine engines. Production capacity at Kiel was extended by
transferring the manufacture of MaK M32C V-type engines to Caterpillar’s other German facility at Rostock – which in itself benefited from improved operational flexibility in its engine test cells. Investment at Kiel is ref lected in the use
of ultra-modern machining equipment for finishing cylinder crankcases, cylinder heads and connecting rods, along with necessary operator training. It is claimed that using 6- Sigma and lean-manufacturing principles, Caterpillar has been able to create a safer work environment and reduce the throughput time for engine assembly by 40%. Marine engines are also manufactured
at Caterpillar’s Guangdong centre, China, where a comprehensive upgrade of its assembly line, test beds, and quality control operations was undertaken. Last year the facility received ISO 9001:2000 certification,
A test bed with the MaK 25 at the Guangdong engine centre.
as well as factory, works, and MaK M25 type approval. The addition of the M25 engine production in China has increased its capacity and
brought manufacturing closer to the growing number of Asian shipyards. The recently-updated M20C is now also being manufactured at Guangdong.
Strong offshore market consolidated T
HE buoyant offshore market provided mainstay support for a stirring set of
results for marine equipment supplier and systems integrator Rolls-Royce Marine last year, writes Hugh O’Mahony. Rolls-Royce, whose marine business turnover grew by some 18% in 2006 over 2005, reaching £1.299 billion, said it had firm orders worth £2 billion in hand. Breaking out results from its wider
corporate parent, Rolls-Royce Marine said it had achieved record sales in the offshore market, which represents around 35% of its marine sales, with production booked until the end of 2008 and 560 of its well-known UT Design vessels either in service or on order, as oil prices boomed. The year 2006 saw the supplier receive its largest ever order for anchor handling offshore vessels, with a £60m deal secured through Farstad. Rolls-Royce said its medium-speed diesel
engine business, produced out of facilities in Bergen and also predominantly aimed at offshore customers, had experienced unprecedented growth over the last two years. Demand had been particularly strong for its low emission ‘B’ engines, while the gas-
SHIP & BOAT INTERNATIONAL MAY/JUNE 2007
fuelled ‘K’ variant had secured first orders. The announcements were made as part of
marine market day, which coincided with the official introduction of John Paterson as new president of Rolls-Royce Marine, following the retirement of Saul Lanyado. Mr Paterson paid tribute to his predecessor’s tenure in overseeing massive growth for the marine activities of Rolls-Royce. Gordon Waddington, Rolls-Royce Marine
president, marine systems, said: ‘All diesel manufacturers are enjoying a good time at the moment, but behind that has to sit strong products. We had to make sure that we stayed good at our fortes. An example has been the introduction of the first gas- powered ferries in Norway.’ Whereas in 2004, the Norwegian plant
produced just 88 engines, Rolls-Royce turned out 200 units in 2006 and expected this to grow to 225 units in 2007. Such was the demand for more capacity, that the company was looking to expand production from Norway, but was also developing a sister facility to produce medium-speed engines from Singapore. Company management emphasised that the group continued to see
Bergen as central to its forward planning, particularly in light of the engineering knowledge available from the site. Mr Paterson acknowledged that the
company faced supply chain challenges across its product ranges in the current buoyant market. He said that, for this reason, the company was investing in capacity in Shanghai and elsewhere. ‘We are investing in new tooling where possible and in new manufacturing principles to boost capacity,’ he said. Merchant mar ine business, which
generated sales 25% of turnover in 2006, had also boomed, through the ‘strong base’ for automation products operating out of Portsmouth, but also with the Rolls-Royce plants in Busan and Shanghai supplying customers in South Korea, China, and Japan directly. The company said it was also investing
heavily in its new Chinese production facility, where demand for automation systems for merchant marine customers remained strong. Its ability to supply complete propulsion systems had proved in- demand in the emerging Chinese market.
37
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72