Koike News

Yokohama-based Mitsubishi Shipbuilding Co has launched a cargo-passenger ship currently under construction for Tokai Kisen Co., Ltd.The new vessel will inherit the name Salvia Maru, replacing the second ship bearing the name that is currently operated by the company.The formal christening was conducted by Tokai Kisen President Junichi Yamazaki, with a ceremonial rope cutting by the fourth Tokai Kisen Mascot Girl, Natsumi Koike.The handover is scheduled for June 2020 upon completion of rigging work, after which the vessel will enter service on a regular route connecting Tokyo with the Tokyo Islands of Oshima, Toshima, Niijima, Shikineshima…

Switzerland's Proman Shipping and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines(MOL) announced that  a naming ceremony for a newbuilding Methanol Carrier for Proman Shipping was held at the Hyundai Mipo Drydock (HMD) in Korea.The vessel was named the CASTARA by Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Limited. (MHTL) CEO Dennis Patrick. MHTL and Proman Shipping are subsidiaries of the Proman Group.The CASTARA will be the most eco-friendly and fuel-efficient vessel in Proman Shipping’s expanding fleet.David Cassidy, Chief Executive of Proman Group said, “The CASTARA is Proman Shipping’s first 50,000 DWT vessel and will become the largest vessel in the Proman Shipping fleet. This milestone is testament to our valued and long-term partnership with MOL.

ENL Group and FURUNO Electric Co. Ltd of Japan have announced that FURUNO has increased its investment into the New Zealand company to a total of 29.5%. The new level of investment is an increase from the initial 10% announced in July 2014. ENL, founded in 1945, has an impressive and unbroken 70-year history in the marine electronics industry. The company has also represented FURUNO in the New Zealand market for over 50 years. ENL manufactures WASSP, their award winning multibeam sonar system…

The Great Lakes Towing Company hosted a WIRE-Net networking event at Great Lakes Shipyard in order to celebrate manufacturing and innovation in Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. More than 100 attendees gathered on the banks of the Cuyahoga River to connect with other manufacturing professionals, forge new relationships and continue to grow and strengthen the local manufacturing community. In addition to a cocktail reception, attendees received tours of the shipyard and detailed explanations of some of the new services/tools that Great Lakes Shipyard has added to their business offering.

Electronic Navigation Ltd (ENL), New Zealand’s largest marine electronics company and the developer of the WASSP sonar, and FURUNO Electric Co., Ltd of Japan, a manufacturer in the global marine electronics industry, are joining forces. In a joint announcement ENL and FURUNO have announced that FURUNO will take an initial 10% shareholding in ENL and its wholly owned subsidiary WASSP Ltd. This investment reflects not only ENL’s and FURUNO’s near 50-year relationship with ENL representing…

Great Lakes Shipyard (GLS) have installed a new state-of-the-art plasma cutting machine, the Plate Pro Extreme 3100, which allows the shipyard to make more of its own parts without relying on outside vendors or subcontractors. GLS say that the addition of this cutting table expands the range of services available to its customers and greatly improves the efficiency of Great Lakes Shipyard operations, while also enhancing the quality and precision of the work being produced. An American made product of Koike Aronson Inc./Ransome…

Great Lakes Shipyard announced the installation of a new state-of-the-art plasma cutting machine, the Plate Pro Extreme 3100. The addition of this cutting table expands the range of services available to its customers and improves the efficiency of Great Lakes Shipyard operations, while also enhancing the quality and precision of the work being produced. Bringing this capability in-house allows the Shipyard to make more of its own parts without relying on outside vendors or subcontractors.

Furuno and Imtech Marine have jointly developed an innovative product for inland waterway shipping. The RHRS 2014 river radar is a revolutionary color radar, unique in the inland shipping market is the mouse control, which makes this radar very user-friendly. It also offers maximum safety thanks to a black box with two SD cards for 24 hours of storage of radar images. The RHRS 2014 replaces the RHRS 2005, which is now being used on more than 4,000 inland waterway ships. The RHRS 2014 is approved by the  Wasser- und Schifffahrtsverwaltung des Bundes for inland waterway shipping in Europe.

Koike Aronson Ransom introduced the Wel Twin Portable Welding Carriage. Tested in shipyards worldwide the Wel Twin is a designed to be a rugged and ready to go to work carrying two torches to provide exceptional quality and production. The Koike Wel-Twin is the newest introduction to the portable welding carriage line. This heavy duty machine is designed to weld on both sides of a stiffener rib or I-beam up to 24 inches tall. Common uses are for shipbuilding, trailer building and custom I-beam construction.

At a time when many industrial operators are having trouble securing credit, Koike Aronson/Ransome Inc. has joined with a major capital equipment lender to offer Equipment Leasing Financing to Koike’s customers in the U.S. and Canada. Koike Aronson’s business units and field representatives now have the ability to provide their customers with an indicated monthly payment, using a $1 buyout or a 10% purchase option, with terms of 36, 48 or 60 months. In addition, Koike Aronson/Ransome, Inc., now covers all of its positioner products with a Two Year Standard Warranty against defects in materials and workmanship. The new Two Year Warranty applies to every model in the Koike Aronson/Ransome positioning equipment line.

“Ninety years is a long time for any company,” said Gerald J. Leary, CEO of Koike, “and the last four years have been the most profitable in our history. This expansion positions us well for the immediate future but we’re not planning on this being our last expansion.” Headcount at Koike has been growing along with capacity:  at the end of April the company employed 172 at its Arcade location. This expansion should increase the workforce to 185 people by the end of 2008.

Hitachi Zosen Corp. has received an order for a Hitachi-MAN B&W ME engine. The order, for a 6S50ME-C,was placed by shipowner Nissho Shipping Co. Ltd., and is the first ME engine ordered in Japan. The shipbuilder is Naikai Zosen and the ME engine will be delivered in February 2004. The ME engine will be manufactured by Hitachi Zosen Diesel and Engineering Co., Ltd. Koike), based on a license agreement with MAN B&W Diesel A/S in Denmark. MAN B&W began the development of electronically controlled engines in 1987, and in 1991 it started an electronic control project for developing “Intelligent Engines”. Meanwhile, Hitachi Zosen commenced basic research on hydraulic pressure-driven fuel oil pressure boosting devices and exhaust gas valve control, without the use of a camshaft, around 1985.