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INSIGHTS

Our R&D is focused on being the best provider and lated, dense urban areas. There’s no reason we can’t do that.

reliable partner that we can in this push to hybridization The Great Lakes project was truly a team effort between and electri? cation. A lot of our time is being spent on de- MTU, Logan, Twin Disc and Great Lakes. It shows how veloping those interfaces with electric motor companies, one company didn’t have all the answers, but when we sat with other control companies, with GPS companies. A lot down around a table how we brought a decades old philos- more product development in the controls area and inter- ophy of diesel engines—marine transmission conventional face area to make sure that we can play in the plug and play propeller shaft—how we kept the conventional propeller environment as it moves forward. shaft, but made it truly a very good hybrid application that rivals a tug z-pellers. It is a fantastic tug, and that opens up

Please give an in-depth look at a recent project you opportunities for people who have a ? eet of conventional tugs. The option there is to be able to convert to hybrid ? nd especially noteworthy or gratifying.

I would go back to the two that I mentioned: The Great without having to spend all the money to go to thrusters.

Lakes Towing tugs and Maid of the Mist tour boats. Both I’m really proud of both of those. of those are focal points for their respective markets. I

I often hear in this industry that many operators don’t think there’s no reason now that when people look at Maid want to be the ? rst mover on any new technology. So, of the Mist, that there is a point to point tourists, or ferry would you say those two applications open doors for type application that it can’t be electric or it can’t be hybrid others who might want to try the technology but don’t with a very small internal combustion engine. I think that want to be ? rst?

is the future of vessels like that, especially in heavily popu-

Absolutely. It’s one thing I’ve noticed about the marine market that is different from others. We’ve seen quite a bit that people will watch and see what’s been done, and if it works then it’s a race to be second. There have been a lot of entrepre- neurs and inventors in the marine space who have great ideas on paper, but once they put it on water and it doesn’t work people are glad they didn’t chase them right away.

But I think both those applications highlight that a new way of doing things is possible. And what I really like about the Great Lakes application is that it shows we can give you the perfect hybrid performance and you don’t have to completely reinvent your vessel. We can do it with existing components.

In general, what would you say is your top goal as

Twin Disc CEO, and what are you doing to make sure you achieve it?

Over the last 20 years, the momentum and the pull dragged us more and more into oil and gas, and we became much more dependent on that market than we had in the past.

And so, our goal is not to leave oil and gas, but to diversify and grow in other areas so that the oil and gas cycles, whether it’s offshore or onshore, don’t affect us as much as they are.

We have to have product development outside of oil and gas.

The Veth Hybrid Drive combines proven quality and technology with the latest hybrid insights. Options include two drives, diesel-direct or diesel-electric, or a combination of both. This enables the use of a particular drive within the portion of the power curve where the ef? ciency is most favorable.

Twin Disc

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