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100,000 horsepower in full control |
To compete successfully in world markets, it is essential that every link in the supply chain is optimized, and the marine industry is among the most challenging in this respect. Competition among suppliers is intense, so when one company achieves a 40 per cent market share, it must be doing something really well. Such a company is Kongsberg Maritime.
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First connect the right people
Since 1965, Norwegian company Kongsberg Maritime’s department of offshore and marine products has been supplying solutions for controlling onboard machinery, delivering its first bridge control system back in 1979. For several years they have relied on Omron as a primary supplier, because these applications demand the highest quality of products and designs. In addition, Omron’s local sales engineer for the past ten years, Jan Valter Johansen, previously spent several years as an electrician on cruise ships. As a result, he speaks the same language as Kongsberg Maritime’s engineers, understands their requirements intimately, and works closely with them on new and ongoing projects.
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Kongsberg Maritime’s latest generation of equipment for controlling a ship’s main engines and monitoring the engine room is the AutoChief 20. It was introduced in 2004 and has been extremely successful. Kongsberg has about 40 per cent of the total market for this kind of equipment, delivering 475 systems in 2007, of which 380 were Autochief 20s. Bente Melås, who led the team that developed the AutoChief 20, anticipates that they will deliver 750 systems in 2008.
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The majority of systems are installed on merchant vessels, in particular container ships and oil tankers. Most installations are carried out at yards in countries such as Korea and China, but development and quality control is the responsibility of the offshore and marine products department in Horten, Norway. As Bente Melås explains, “Because of the long distance and the fact that we are dealing with different cultures, we rely on suppliers who offer quality products, and who will deliver in time. Over the years, we’ve found that Omron is a supplier we can depend on.”
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Harsh environment
Two Omron products are used in the AutoChief 20: proximity switches which monitor speed and direction, and a MCW151, a powerful servo based controller which controls the fuel injection to the two-stroke main engines, which have a maximum speed of 100 rpm. “Although these engines don’t operate at high speeds, it is extremely important that they run correctly,” says Bente Melås. She continues, “Running at too high a speed increases the amount of fuel used and in the worst case can cause a breakdown. Given that these engines output at anything from 10,000 to 100,000 horsepower, you can imagine the cost if that happens.”
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The Omron products operate in an extremely harsh environment, with a considerable amount of vibration, while high temperatures and humidity can also be challenging. All system solutions and products must fulfill the demands of classification agencies such as DNV and Lloyds.
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Price, quality and customer service
Very few suppliers are able to deliver knowledge and components with the functionality that Kongsberg Maritime demands. “Omron was among the first companies to offer servo-control systems,” according to Bente Melås “and our experience has been very good. We continuously monitor the market for products that we can use in our applications, but we’ve found no-one to match Omron on price, quality and customer service.”
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