Page 49: of Marine News Magazine (July 2014)

A Partnership in Testing Innovation AEP?s involvement in the development of the YoYo was instrumental. Patterson provided with company with some of the  rst products, and they tested them over two years. AEP personnel collected both quantitative and qualitative information on ease of use, time savings, injury reduction rates, ROI, and overall savings. By the end of the trial pe- riod, AEP had concluded that they could save millions of dollars by making the YoYo their standard winch. As a result of those years of development and testing with AEP, Patterson has determined that the YoYo is 50% faster than ratchets, which, according to the company?s innova- tive ROI calculator, means that the winch actually pays for itself in a short amount of time. Safety is also a plus?less birdnesting means fewer man-overboard opportunities. Standardization Brings Safety and EfÞ ciencyTaylor Grapes, engineering director at Patterson, notes that the increasing prevalence of the YoYo is leading nat- urally to a positive change throughout the entire inland shipping industry, not just at AEP: standardization . With all of Patterson?s customers using the YoYo (including the three biggest towing operations in the industry) and in- creasing numbers of barges adding the YoYo on a continu- ing basis, he envisions a day when every barge will be ex- clusively equipped with this new design. ?The YoYo is becoming the de facto standard in this in- dustry,? he says. ?As more and more owners and operators upgrade, rebuild, re-rig, or build from scratch, the more YoYos we?ll see, until basically you?ll have nothing but the YoYo on board anywhere.? This represents a positive out- come for Patterson, of course: if owners are specifying the YoYo; that means more sales for the company. Standardization also bene ts the industry as a whole. Most industries agree that voluntary technical and trade agreements among experts contribute to increased safety, predictable outcomes, and better business?this is why or- ganizations like the International Standards Organization, or ISO, exist. Engineers and economists at many standards groups including the ISO, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the Standards Council of Canada have con- ducted a multitude of global studies proving the measurable value of standards as they apply to a variety of industries. Beyond formal standards, the adoption of a standardized technology increases user familiarity, which results in safer conditions. If every deckhand is familiar with the operation of the YoYo, and the YoYo is on every barge, then that means everyone can work swiftly and safely anywhere without the Smith Berger Marine, Inc.builds a full range of Shark Jaws for AnchorHandling Tug Supply vessels. Standard ratings are 100, 200, 350, 500 and 750 metric tons and all units have Quick Release at the rated load.Smith Berger flexibility allows us to customize our equipment to suit theoperating characteristics of your vessel. Third party certification, loadtests, release tests and load monitoring systems are available options. Rely on the 100 year history of Smith Berger to outfit your vessel with our rugged and dependable equipment.SMITHBERGERMARINE, INC.OFFERSA COMPLETELINEOF SHARK JAWS ? TOWING PINS ? STERN ROLLERS Smith Berger Marine, Inc.7915 10th Ave., S., Seattle, WA 98108 USA Tel. 206.764.4650 ? Toll Free 888.726.1688 ? Fax 206.764.4653 E-mail: [email protected] ? Web: www.smithberger.com SAFE - RELIABLE - ECONOMICALwww.marinelink.com MN July14 Layout 32-49.indd 49MN July14 Layout 32-49.indd 496/18/2014 3:52:46 PM6/18/2014 3:52:46 PM