Ulstein: A Century of Innovation
Ulstein, now a century old, has spent the last 100 years looking to the future. Since its formation on August 9, 1917 in Ulsteinvik, Norway, the family-owned shipbuilder, designer and systems supplier said it has focused on tomorrow’s opportunities today. Over the years, Ulstein has evolved through innovation and pioneered trailblazing solutions, driven by its desire to meet shifting customer demands, commercial openings and market challenges head-on. There isn’t much that remains the same in a century of operation…
CMD Out of the Blocks
CSSC-MES Diesel Co. Ltd. (CMD), the newly established engine manufacturer, has filled its order books in record time with orders for a striking 61 large-bore, low-speed diesel engines. With the first engine due for delivery by the end of October 2007, this places CMD fifth on the list of MAN Diesel’s 17 two-stroke licensees in terms of orders. As the first engine producer operating in China, CMD will produce 98-cm bore engines, initially manufacturing eight MAN B&W 8K98MC engines. The engines are bound for Jiangnan shipyard for use aboard ships operated by COSCO, the Chinese, state-owned shipping company. The CMD order comprises an additional, extensive series of 80- and 90-cm bore engines destined for large containerships and VLCCs.
MAN Diesel SE – A New European Company
MAN Aktiengesellschaft is intending to convert its Diesel Engines Business Area into a European Company (Societas Europaea) in the course of this year. At the same time, MAN B&W Diesel AG in Augsburg is to be renamed "MAN Diesel SE". "In a European Company we will think and act on an even more international scale, which is absolutely essential in the face of global competition," explained Håkan Samuelsson, Executive Board Chairman of MAN AG, at a press conference in Munich. A Societas Europaea (SE) is a corporate form under European law. This new legal form will allow for stronger integration of MAN´s international business activities. The MAN Diesel SE boards will be international bodies.
A broader-based payback from R&D
Consolidation in the diesel engine building sector is partly a reflection of the substantial capital expenditure required to maintain product development and technological advance in a business characterized by comparatively low unit margins. By spinning-off new technical solutions arising from the engine design program into upgrading and conversion packages for existing populations of machinery, the manufacturer and licensor can gain more from R&D endeavors. Complementing new engine sales, product releases aimed at plant already in operation represents another stream of payback on heavy investment in technology. The companion effect of the strategy…
