Seimens Industrial Solutions and Services Announces New Service Concept in 26 September Press Relea

Published Oct 12, 2006 12:01 AM by The Maritime Executive

The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services (I&S) Group has developed a new service concept that ship operators all over the world can depend on when unexpected technical failures or problems strike their fleets. As Eberhard Becker, responsible for marine engineering in the ‘Marine Solutions’ branch of the I&S Group, explained recently, “The growing use of complex technologies and ever shorter times spent in port …quot; together with constant reductions in crew numbers …quot; are putting much greater emphasis on the need for reliable operation and good maintenance of vessels. Consequently, a global service network employing intelligent, forward-looking concepts is the only way of ensuring optimum service and maintenance support across the whole portfolio of machinery and systems”.

The new range of services offered by Siemens has been tailored to the specific needs of ship operators and extends from the usual on-call arrangements with agreed response times that are standard practice in the industry, through long-term service and maintenance contracts to complex modernization projects. The whole spectrum of technologies found on board ships is covered. At a network of international bases strategically located on the principal trade routes sailed by owners’ fleets …quot; also designed around any necessary logistics partners and the customs arrangements of individual countries …quot; there are specially trained teams of technical experts available on immediate call. Maintenance needs are coordinated by a centrally-located contact person for each customer so that the necessary action can be organized and initiated without delay.

Siemens is one of the leading providers of services for the electrical propulsion and automation systems of both merchant and naval vessels. Here too Eberhard Becker emphasized how “Service work on board ships must be measured against entirely different standards than stationary installations on shore”. Ships are constantly on the move and it is difficult to predict with any certainty when and where service work will be needed. The constant pressure of competition gives owners and operators fewer and fewer opportunities to tolerate technical breakdowns or extended periods of time in port. “Therefore”, Eberhard Becker again, “when a ship is away on a voyage it must be possible not only to deal with normal service and maintenance procedures, but also get the necessary people and parts on board quickly when repairs are needed so that sailing schedules can be maintained”.

One of an operator’s principal demands, therefore, is the rapid availability of service and maintenance support. Eberhard Becker: “Not only do we make use of the world-wide presence of Siemens but also the enormous practical experience in maintenance and modernization possessed by the I&S Group through its local service providers at more than 80 locations throughout the world”.

With its sophisticated network of support bases and specific range of services for customers, Siemens is able to offer optimum servicing and maintenance for ships both merchant and naval. Service packages tailor-made for specific customers and specific ships can be designed, often to include the individual scheduling of such requirements as normal work and emergency response, maintenance intervals, guaranteed response times or the delivery of urgent spares. Further information under: http://www.siemens.de/marine