Captain Sven Fromm outlines how Clever Marine Services Ltd has evolved to offer supply of spare parts, and a full suite of repair and refurbishment services.
We were your typical independent marine and offshore engine/machinery repair company which also supplied spares and logistics if required by the customer. However, we have spent the last 18 months developing our spare parts sales department, meaning that the building of relationships with suppliers, stockists and OEM’s, as well as implementing Enterprise Resource Programme (ERP) software to optimise the turnaround time to offer and to better the sales and transport documentation as well as enhancing our monitoring of each sales or service contract has significantly evolved.
In this respect, it was an enormous advantage that Silke Strohschenk and Rico Barenschee decided to become partners in CMS Ltd in 2017. Together, they have brought combined a spare parts supply experience of 35 years into CMS Ltd, which enabled us to achieve our current status.
CMS Ltd has also spent the last 12 month sourcing good and reliable partners with workshop space and facilities in geographically preferred locations. This means that, alongside spare parts supply, we are now able to offer workshop space for reconditioning and repair works in Hamburg, Szczecin, Gdansk, Gdynia and our own facility on the Isle of Man. Via these partners, we are now also able to offer thruster, propeller, shaft arrangement and steering gear repairs and overhauls. Additionally, we have also invested in diagnostic, adjustment and special tools for certain engine manufacturers. Coupled with the a.m. workshop network and our ability for spare parts supply, this brings us to the position of being able offer spares, logistic, overhaul/repair teams, as well as the reconditioning of major components.
Partnership with Ramsey Ship Yard
It should also be highlighted that the Isle of Man’s Ramsey Ship Yard is operational again, and that CMS Ltd is working in partnership with them. The ship yard is suitable predominantly for trawlers, POV, AHTS, barges and other workboats, but the large slip can also accommodate ships 50m in length and with a 12m beam.
The yard has crane facilities and is easy and economically to reach from any point in the Irish Sea. Due to the Isle of Man’s maritime cluster (of which CMS Ltd and the Ship Yard are part) we can offer to carry out almost any type of ship repair with Island-based companies.
A focus on CAT manufactured engines
While we can offer the aforementioned services for all major engine manufacturers, we have focused on CAT manufactured engines, and have now all the required diagnostic equipment to work on the complete range of CAT engines.
Our engineers have been trained to safely and securely use this equipment, and with the enhanced service ability in conjunction with our good contacts to CAT spare parts stockists, OEM’s and suppliers we are aiming to bring the total overhaul cost down by reconditioning parts used by owners or managers as stock for the next engine in Europe. This is possible because many series of CAT engines many of the major components are interchangeable between types. That is, a cylinder head from a 3412 is also suitable to be used on type 3408 or 3406, and so on. The same applies to an array of other engine manufacturers. Obviously, this depends on serial and arrangement numbers, but this can be determined by us.
Cutting costs
Our decision to focus on CAT engines was based on feedback from our CAT clients which, in nearly 100% of cases, stated that a major overhaul of a CAT auxiliary engine is more costly than an equal or comparable engine from a European manufacturer, even if Reman parts or the core charge system is used. This price difference is clearly driven by the purchase prices of the different engines.
We have calculated the example of one of our clients who needs to carry out a major overhaul of six CAT 3500 series engines in the coming months. In this case, there are three 3512 and three 3508 type engines. The required spares – in accordance with CAT recommended parts for a major overhaul of 3512 engines – initially costs around €62,000, and the initial supply of required spares for a 3508 engine would cost some €52, 000. But due to the fact that all major components are compatible between these two engines, we can cut this cost by some €8,500 if we recondition the parts in Europe and therefore have them ready for the next engine. This saving is raised drastically from overhaul to overhaul. In the end, the average spare supply price for each 3512 is brought down by almost €14,000, and for the 3508 by over €10,000.
The network of workshops, stocks and available service personnel in strategic positions will also enable us to act as your port repair team. Moving forwards, this means that we are aiming to reach determined major European Ports within five hours from call. We can offer this already for the following ports:
- Szczecin – 1 hour;
- Gdansk/Gdynia – 2 hours;
- Swinoujscie – 2 hours;
- Rostock – 3 hours;
- Kiel/Luebeck – 4 hours; and
- Hamburg – 2 hours.
We can reach ports like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Ystad, Klaipeda and Copenhagen within six-to-nine hours by car or, depending on the available travel links, within two-to-three hours by aeroplane. We are aiming to reach ports in under five hours by car because this offers the most benefit for the customer.
Our services
Because we have a multi-skilled workforce, it is our aim to offer you a suite of services from smaller welding, steel and pipe repairs to repairs and maintenance for diesel engines, pumps, compressors, etc., and up to steering gear, propeller shaft arrangements and thrusters alongside the supply of spare parts. For the repairs of shaft arrangements, steering gears and thrusters we can even attend with a fully equipped workshop truck.
We are flying our fitters to the Caribbean for the refurbishment of crane cabins and our Polish based fitters have recently been required to carry out internal welding repairs on a ship’s hull in the UK. We believe that this is due to our reasonable, transparent and clear pricing as well as due to the fact that we can supply fitters which have a marine and offshore acknowledged NDT qualification.
If the above is of interest to you, or if you would like to optimise your maintenance schedule but cannot find the correct service provider to realise it with, then please contact us to start communications and we will do our utmost to accommodate your wishes and requirements.
For the first time, this year we have a stand at the SMM event in Hamburg, which makes this the perfect opportunity to come and see us for an unformal chat or to discuss a firm project with us. Obviously, we can also arrange office visits or meetings if this fits into your schedule. We will be located in the first floor of Hall B1 in the UK-Pavilion in booth 414, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Cpt Sven Fromm
Clever Marine Services Ltd
Isle of Man
+44 1624835123
www.clevermarine.com/index.shtml
