Rolls-Royce Gives Go-Ahead to FORAN

In December 2000 Rolls-Royce Marine and SENER signed two linked contracts, one for the evaluation of FORAN V50 during a test period and the other for the license of FORAN on a permanent basis. The contract for evaluation foresaw the installation of FORAN Licenses in Rolls-Royce offices in Ulsteinvik (Norway) and Navis consult (Rijeka, Croatia), together with the corresponding training for the personnel from both offices. After extensive testing, first with FORAN V40, and since October 2001 with V50, Rolls-Royce Marine has taken up the option to use FORAN on a permanent basis, with licenses covering the complete ship design and production capabilities available in FORAN V50. Rolls-Royce offers ship design, ship equipment and integrated system solutions for most types of vessels. Its marine business is sub-divided into naval and commercial sectors. The head office for the commercial marine activities is located in Ulsteinvik, on the west coast of Norway. The FORAN licences are for the Ship Technology - Ulstein department (formerly Ulstein Ship Technology AS), and will be used initially in Ulsteinvik and Rijeka, although the contract allows for the incorporation of other design offices within the group as FORAN users. This Ship Technology department develops specialised offshore vessels and system solutions for customers all over the world with its UT series. Since the trend-setting designs first developed by Ulstein reached the world market in 1975, about 325 vessels to UT-designs have been delivered or are under construction at shipyards around the world. During the test period Navis consult has used FORAN to carry out the complete detail design (steel) of two UT ships for construction in Brazil. The results are reported to be excellent both with regard to the quality of the production information and to the number of hours used to produce this information. At the same time several NC post-processors for plate cutting were delivered by SENER. The Ship Technology - Ulstein department, in the same period, has carried out partial design work on two supply vessels, one in construction in Langsten yard (engine room) and the other in Simek yard, again with excellent results. With this new prestigious contract FORAN not only establishes itself as the main CAD/CAM system for ship design and production in the very important Norwegian market but also confirms its leadership in the world market.