The Southeastern New England Shipbuilding Corporation (SENESCO) announced recently that the company formally changed its name to Senesco Marine and instituted a sweeping new design and build process to enhance the speed with which the company can design, build and deliver barges.
Gary C. Schuler, who was recently appointed chief executive officer, said that SENESCO has grown beyond its original focus as a Southeastern New England shipbuilding company. "Our most recent double hulled barge was built for a west coast customer and we continue to see increased activity out of our New Orleans office," said Schuler. "The change to Senesco Marine makes sense for us based on our growing reputation as a leading national shipbuilder."
The change is not as superficial as a name change alone, however, and Schuler touted the company's new partnership with Guarino & Cox, a respected naval architecture firms.
"We realize that expedited construction and on time delivery have become increasingly important as our customers move to comply with federal requirements for double hulled barges," said Schuler. "On time delivery starts with quality ship designs and we're pleased to have Guarino & Cox as strategic design partners. Not only is Guarino & Cox providing us with top notch designs, but they're designing to maximize efficiency and speed up construction time based on the operation of our shipyard."
Greg Cox, a principal in Guarino & Cox, said he was pleased to be working with Senesco Marine on the design of the company's double-hulled barges. "As a relatively new company, Senesco Marine has developed a tremendous reputation as one of the leading barge builders in America," said Cox. "We're honored to be working with them as a design partner in their new on time design, build and delivery process."
In addition to its strategic partnership with Guarino & Cox, Schuler said the company has taken a number of other key steps at the shipyard to make the new on time design, build and delivery process a reality. "We've implemented a new build strategy to enhance sequencing between the fabrication, erection, painting and outfitting components of our operation," said Schuler. "We've also established a material control department that will function as a unit of our planning department. Collectively, these new procedures will significantly enhance the turnaround time for our barges."