Page 31: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (May 1995)

ARD PROFIIi iollinger Adapts To Address Changing Markets .facilities, equipment and agressive man

H agement all play a big part in today's

L Bollinger Machine Shop & Shipyard, Inc. - a company poised to deliver the products that he domestic and international marketplace de- nands. Headquartered in Lockport, La. — a geographic region ripe with able competitors —

Bollinger has steadily built an impressive array of new build and repair facilities: expanded com- puterized engineering, manufacturing equipment processes and total marine service support shops have provided services to help it excel. "It's a world marketplace now," said Scott

Theriot, vice president - marketing/sales. He points out that in 1974, roughly 85 to 90 percent of Bollinger's gross sales came from within a 40- mile radius of the yard; today, approximately 10 to 15 percent of Bollinger gross sales come from that same radius.

The Halliburton project perhaps best illus- trates Bollinger's prominence on the world mar- ket. This project, in which Bollinger and

Halliburton together developed the concept, is a totally new type of self-propelled, self-elevating offshore support vessel, a vessel designed to service offshore oil and gas production platforms located in hostile environments. To ensure its place in the international market, Bollinger is in the process of becoming ISO 9000 (9001) certi- fied.

Strong Commercial Roots

One point Mr. Theriot wants to make per- fectly clear is that Bollinger is a "commercial shipyard which has done military work ... we have never left the commercial market." Un- justly tagged as a "navy yard" by some, Bollinger best exemplified its flexibility last fall at its first ever triple christening — an event which also showed the yard's ability to simultaneously run commercial and military orders.

On September 24, at the company headquar- ters, two coastal patrol vessels (Firebolt [PC10] and Whirlwind [PC 11]) and a 145-ft. (44.2-m) supply vessel M/V Mickey Gilbert) were chris- tened. The 170-ft. (51.8-m) coastal patrol boats were part of a 13-vessel contract for the Cyclone class vessels for the U.S. Navy. The Mickey

Gilbert was the first of two vessels for Gilbert

Cheramie Boats Co., Inc. It is powered by a pair of GM 8 V 149 main engines and features a

Schottel thruster and GM generators.

Bollinger Machine Shop & Shipyard has been in business since 194G, and its roots are firmly grounded in the oil field service. In its history, the company has delivered more than 250 ves- sels, but it has always been more than a newbuild yard. As the company has diversified to remain buoyant in the event that one business segment drops, it must be especially gratified to see busi-

BEL0W: Bollinger's Larose facility has been very busy of late with repair work. 1QQ5 diversity is readily evident from this view of its Lockport facility, with a U.S. Navy Cyclone class vessfiL(forejgrpund), a tug and a gaming vessel simultaneously under construction. • -i ness picking up in many different areas. Be- cause of dips in the newbuild market, it was always a company philosophy to offer more, in terms of repair, specialized equipment and other services.

Near-Term Business Looks Good

The market on many fronts is looking up, and "it's the best of times in the last 10 years for feeling good about the market. There is a lot of drilling going on," said Charlotte Bollinger. "We've got a lot of serious inquiries into newbuild projects." Bollinger also has a lot of ongoing

Qwkk Reference Guide To Bollinger's Facilities

Bollinger Lockport: 250-acre new construction site; five marine railways capable of handling vessels up to 165 ft. (50 m) in length; aluminum, fiberglass or steel repair jobs;USCG-approvedgasfreeing and fuel storage facility. projects and recent deliveries, including con- struction of a D-type dipper dredger for Dutra; the second 145-ft. utility vessel for Gilbert

Cheramie Boats; and a pair of 6,140-hp tugs for

Candies.

Concerning the repair business, Mr. Theriot said "It has never been better ... there is a lot of equipment out there working. We have got an eye on expansion to meet our customer's needs."

Based on the company's recent history, ob- servers know it is not afraid of expansion. With 800 employees and 16 drydocks at four of six sites, Bollinger has grown into a very large "small-boat" build and repair operation.

For more information on Bollinger

Circle 37 on Reader Service Card

Bollinger Quick Repair: 24-hour service located 1,100 ft. (335 m) from the Mississippi River along the Harvey Canal; five floating drydocks with capacities up to 2,500 tons; full-service shipyard; 27,500-sq.-ft. modern, fully equipped propeller shop; 32,000-sq.- ft. machine shop; and complete 24-hour, UL-approved electrical service.

Bollinger Larose: On the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway at mile marker 36, offering repairs of both steel and aluminum vessels; four floating drydocks able to handle vessels up to 3,500 tons; on-site warehouse operation; safe harbor for storage.

Bollinger Fourchon: Located three miles from theGulf of Mexico, this facility is available to deep-draft vessels, including mobile drilling rigs; 24-hour service; specializing in quick repair service.

Algiers IronWorks: Founded in 1903 and acquired by Bollinger in 1990, the Algiers yard offers a deep water facility on the Mississippi

River with repair capabilities for vessels up to 2,500 tons.

Bollinger Fiberglass: 26,000-sq.-ft. facility in Mathews, La., houses laminating, painting, outfitting, carpenter and material control shops.

Capable of new construction, outfitting existing hulls and tooling construction and repair.

Chand Corp.: Database and material experience incorporated into

CAPPS, an automated purchasing, material/inventory manage- ment, and financial control system developed and used internally.

Bollinger's Engineering Dept.: Complete naval architecture service with detail design capabilities. Equipped with CAD systems, staffed with structural, electrical and mechanical engineers, naval archi- tects, designers and draftsmen.