Feature 2
Wärtsilä invests for the future
Wärtsilä Corp has invested in its Dutch propeller and thrusters
manufacturing plant, along with producing ideas for future forms of
propulsion. Clare Nicholls reports.
T
he former Lips manufacturing
facility in Drunen, The Netherlands,
was the setting for the inauguration
of a new Wärtsilä thruster assembly hall
in January. Around 100 thrusters per year
and fixed and controllable pitch propellers
should be manufactured at the new facilities,
for use on cruiseships, ro-ro car and truck
carriers, offshore support vessels, and other
special purpose vessels.
Increasing numbers of ship orders over
the past few years have seen a backlog in
the production process for ship propulsion.
Ole Johansson, president, Wärtsilä Corp,
said that the bottleneck in producing
components to build engines, propellers,
thrusters, and automation had prompted the
€10.3 million investment in the expansion
of the Drunen facility. The new Wärtsilä thruster assembly hall in Drunen, The Netherlands.
Each propeller made at Drunen will
be individually constructed in concrete
moulds. Copper tubes and obsolete coins It is giving Chinese Wärtsilä workers in cooperation with Becker Marine Systems.
are melted down and poured into the and students the chance to study in The The design places the rudder behind the
moulds; the moulds being broken to remove Netherlands, which it reckons will also build propeller to increase thrust and torque. The
the metal when set. The rough propeller is up contacts for the future. However, research rudder force generates thrust at low advance
then milled, followed by manual grinding to and development is still based in Drunen, ratio, and resistance at large advance radio.
refine the surface. which endeavours to stay one step ahead of During this project, Wärtsilä has
The new capacity will be fully utilised by the Chinese facility in terms of technology, concluded that a ship’s rudder and propeller
2009, and the plant will employ a workforce as Wärtsilä asserts that it is important for the should be designed together, as the rudder
of 40, the majority being recruited and company to keep as many jobs in Europe as is important for the interaction with the
trained locally. Ensuring good relations with possible. propeller. Model testing has indicated that
its Dutch subsidiary is important to Wärtsilä, However, Chinese expansion has been the application of a rudder bulb increases
as it is the leading marine supplier in The rapid. Five years ago there were 150 Chinese propulsive efficiency and results in lower
Netherlands with over 1500 employees, employees, but today that figure has fuel cost, with reported savings of 5% to
comprising an engine knowledge and risen to 1000. Compact thrusters are also 7% for single screw propulsion, and 3% to
logistics centre in Zwolle, marine services manufactured at the Wuxi plant. 5% for the twin screw version.
run from Schiedam, and high loaded engine Noise and vibration reduction was
part reconditioning in Kruiningen. Propulsion: the future? recorded at 30% to 45% for single screw
Additional expansions at the Schiedam Overall, 2007 was another profitable year models and 20% to 25% for twin screw.
and Kruiningen sites, as well as development for Wärtsilä, with net sales growing by 18%. Another claimed advantage is less rudder
of the Zwolle factory, are also planned. In 2008 the company predicts a record 25% cavitation, due to better alignment of the
Wärtsilä also intends to foster a good growth rate, with the figures based upon flow behind the propeller.
relationship with its propeller production contracts already in its orderbook. The The topic of wing thrusters has
location for Asia, in Zhenjiang, China. corporation is also looking towards the been broached as another example of
The company believes that this Asian future with its new concepts for efficient and increasingly efficient propulsion systems.
cooperation has to be balanced, and that less costly forms of propulsion. Wärtsilä’s ship power research and
being open keeps it in the loop as regards to One of these ideas is for an efficiency development department believes that
new developments. rudder, a product which has been developed three propellers offer a larger disc area,
The Naval Architect March 2008 51
NA Mar 08 - p51+52.indd 51 10/03/2008 12:03:02
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