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30 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News blood, which has also had the effect of markedly reducing the average age of personnel. At the same time, greater recourse has been made to subcontract- ing. Output has risen from 274 MW in 1997 to 632 MW in 2003, with a further advance this year to an anticipated level in the order of 850-900 MW. The payroll has gone in the opposite direction over the same period. In 1996, immediately prior to Wärtsilä's involvement, the workforce had numbered approximately 1,900. By 2003, the payroll had come down to 1,090. The near 1,200 pay-offs during the period have been accompa- nied by an intake of 412 newcomers, dramatically altering the age profile and leading to a younger average age.

The physical dimensions of the Trieste works and the capacity of its production lines and assembly areas are comple- mented by an enormous testbed resource, which encompasses provision for the test running of eight large engines plus eight small engines. The facilities can handle the 64-class engine up to its present largest size, the 12- cylinder vee model, and could also receive a 20-cylinder model of the 46- type, although the latter series only appears in the maker's current catalogue in configurations of up to 18 cylinders.

Two of the testbeds are equipped to pro- vide gas fuel, and a third will be similar- ly-fitted during 2005.

Production in 2004 included the roll- out in February of what may prove to be the last two-stroke from Trieste, a seven-cylinder Sulzer RTA72U machine. However, the overall growth in activity during the year included the rapid assimilation of 46-series manufac- ture, with a total of 19 such engines fig- uring in the program.

Wärtsilä Italia's throughput targets for

Trieste include hoisting output on the combined 46- and 64-series production line from one engine per week, the level attained in October 2004, to two per week, plus or minus 25 percent, by the end of 2005. With similar 25-percent margins, build capability for the

Wärtsilä 38-class was one engine per week from October 2004, with the pro- duction rate for the 26-series standing at two per week from mid-year.

Wärtsilä Integrates

Spares Online With MTS

Wärtsilä has decided to cooperate with

MTS within the marine e-business mar- ket and has through the MTS infrastruc- ture integrated its Spares Online service.

Spares Online gives ship owners/opera- tors full control of their parts ordering and delivery process directly in their existing purchasing system. Spares

Online keeps track of all ship owners / operators installations and provides an updated view of the equipment installed in their plant.

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Iveco Introduces New

Marine Diesel

Iveco Motors Of North America intro- duced the NEF 370, a six cylinder, high performance engine with an electronic common rail fuel injection system. With 370 hp and weighing 1,312 lbs, the engine provides a power to weight ratio of 3.54lbs./hp. The NEF 370's control module supervises the engines perform- ance and protects the engine from mis- use. The better integration of electronics provides more accurate information to the skipper. The electronic installation process requires a couple of wires, mak- ing it simple and time efficient.

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Propulsion Update

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