Page 58: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2017)

Future Tech

The company says Marine 4.0 will enable it to respond to market challenges while continu- ing to lower its ? xed-cost base and focus on new investments: about $385 million has been earmarked to cover R&D expenditure, while a 25 percent reduction in the workforce (imple- mented in 2012) and innovation growth require changes in engineering capability, and therefore the need to rede? ne the company’s culture.

Manufacturing Footprint

Since 2012, Rolls-Royce has reduced its man- ufacturing footprint by 40 percent; manufactur- ing has been consolidated onto fewer sites; and several non-core product lines and businesses have been divested, including hydrodynamic bearings (Michell Bearings), shiplift systems (Syncrolift) and tank stabilization equipment (Intering).

However, it isn’t all cutbacks: the company is

Photo: Rolls-Royce investing in the future of one of its most im- portant products by implementing its expansion

Rolls-Royce and Finland’s Tampere University of Technology are working on the sup- plans for its azimuth thruster facility in Rauma,

Finland in a $56.5 million project scheduled for port systems necessary for autonomous navigation. The systems will be developed and completion in 2020. This includes a major re- tested using a purpose-built autonomous ship simulator located at the University. build of the existing facilities and the consolida-

Rolls-Royce signed a memorandum changed over to autonomous opera- lutions. These developments will be

Collaborative R&D: of understanding (MOU) with global tion. applied to technology demonstrators

Cargotec business MacGregor to col- The company has also signed a to show how they can be used by spe-

Partnerships Cross the World laborate on research and development MoU with the Technology Centre ci? c ship types.

to explore the impact of developments for Offshore and Marine, Singapore In addition, Rolls-Royce and Tam- in autonomy for cargo ship naviga- (TCOMS), a joint venture between pere University of Technology have tion and cargo handling systems on Singapore’s Agency for Science, established a strategic partnership to board container ships. The company Technology and Research and the develop and test technology to sup- believes that a remote-controlled ship National University of Singapore, to port the systems necessary for auton-

Rolls-Royce and MacGregor: will be in commercial use by the end form a strategic partnership to devel- omous navigation, thereby enabling

Partnering to develop autonomous of the decade and a common sight on op fundamental smart ship technolo- the construction of the ? rst generation the high seas by 2030, and stated that gies including smart sensing, digital of autonomous ships by developing navigation and cargo handling tech- this new R&D agreement will help it twinning and integrated modeling, all and validating technologies using the explore how the many activities that of which are essential to the develop- University’s purpose-built autono- nology for container ships.

are currently done manually can be ment of future marine data-based so- mous ship simulator.

Photo: Rolls-Royce 58 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • JUNE 2017

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