Page 22: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (January 1971)

Jeffboat Names Three Vice-Presidents Mini-Computer Monitoring System

For Machinery Operation Being Tested

The mini-computer installation on the Niihata Maru, shown above, will provide for cen- tralized control of oil shipboard functions. It was developed by two Japanese firms.

Hitachi Shipbuilding & Engi- neering Co., Ltd. recently installed the first part of a centralized moni- toring system utilizing a mini-com- puter on the 114,849-dwt ore-car- rier Niihata Maru. The ship was built at the firm's Innoshima ship- yard and is jointly owned by Ya- mashita Shinnihon Steamship Co.,

Ltd. and Sanwa Shosen Kaisha,

Ltd.

This monitoring system com- bines various sub-systems, such as the main engine, navigation, cargo handling, etc., in one unit. At this time, only the machinery part of the unit was installed. The develop- ment of the machinery monitoring system is the result of a study per- formed by the YSH Committee, which consists of Hitachi Ship- building and Yamashita Shinnihon

Steamship Co. Hitachi supplied the software for the system and Iloku- shin Electric Works, Ltd., furn- ished the hardware.

The machinery unit of the moni- toring system is a new attempt to provide a fixed-memory-type mini- computer capable of calculating the minimum necessary performance, as well as detecting failures and diagnosing causes. Its main func- tion is data logging. The main characteristic of the localized com- puter system adopted is that it can employ a system corresponding to the financial requirements of the shipowner.

The unit will be tested aboard the Niihata Maru for about a year under various sailing conditions (condition of cargo, speed, steering, etc.), surrounding circumstances (weather, meteorological phenom- ena, etc.) and changes on the actual vessel (dirt in the engines and on the hull).

This system is well suited for shipboard use since it adopts the fixed-memory method which can- not be cancelled out by misopera- tion. Hitachi also feels that it is cheaper in price and easier to han- dle than the magnetic-core type.

The Niihata Maru has an over- all length of 856 feet 4 inches, a beam of 131 feet 11 inches, a depth of 70 feet and a designed draft of 51 feet 3 inches. It is powered by a 23,200-hp Hitachi B&W 9K84EF type diesel engine which gave a trial speed of 17.57 knots.

Jeffboat president, R.W. Naye, has announced the recent creation of three vice-presidencies and a re- structuring of the Jeffersonville.

Ind. based shipbuilding company into four major divisions. Simul- taneously, Mr. Naye announced the names of the three men to fill the newly-created positions.

Leo R. Toupin, formerly direc- tor of personnel, has been named vice-president, administration. Mr.

Toupin joined the company in 1967 as assistant director of personnel.

Prior to joining Jeffboat, he served as labor relations supervisor for

Titanium Metals Corporation of

America in Henderson, Nev. In his new post Mr. Toupin will have charge of industrial relations, pur- chasing, accounting, and manpow- er and scheduling.

Named to fill the vice-president, engineering, slot is Lon Pinaire, formerly manager of research and development with the Tube Turns

Division, Chemetron Corporation.

Joining Jeffboat as vice-president of engineering, Mr. Pinaire brings 19 years of experience in the fields of both design and manufacturing engineering. At Jeffboat he will oversee production engineering, in- dustrial engineering, plant engi- neering, maintenance and quality control.

Ralph T. Goodwin Jr., formerly sales manager for Jeffboat, moves into the position of vice-president, sales. He will head up sales and contract administration, estimat- ing, advertising and public rela- tions. Moving to Jeffersonville from New Orleans, La., Mr. Good- win joined Jeffboat in 1966 as sales manager. Prior to his affiliation with Jeffboat, Mr. Goodwin served as regional sales manager for the

Dravo Corporation.

Heading up the fourth major di- vision at Jeffboat is James E. Ni- vin, who was elected a vice-presi- dent of the firm in 1968. As vice- president, production, he will over- see production, production plan- ning and material control. A gradu- ate naval architect, Mr. Nivin has been affiliated with Jeffboat since 1965. Prior to that he was naval architect and chief engineer for

Maxon Construction Company, Tell

City, Ind.

In announcing the new position.-i and appointments, Jeffboat presi- dent R.W. Naye noted that the positions were created with an eye to accomplishing full utilization of the plant and equipment modern- ization and expansion program just

Ralph T. Goodwin Jr. completed at Jeffboat. Under the program, Project 70, Jeffboat has constructed new loading, storing, handling and treatment facilities for steel, as well as other major improvements throughout the yard. "These new management posi- tions, combined with our recently completed expansion, will enable

Jeffboat, already the largest barge producer in the nation, to continue to serve the waterways industry with top quality, on time, competi- tive production," Mr. Naye said.

Jeffboat is part of the Inland Wa- terways Services Division of Tex- as Gas Transmission Corporation.

ENCRON Names Powell

For Northeast Area

Gordon Powell

The appointment of Gordon Pow- ell as the Energy Control Corpora- tion sales representative for the

Northeastern United States area from Maine to North Carolina has been announced by Bruce Bettcher,

ENCRON president.

Mr. Powell, long associated with the marine electronics industry, formerly represented a top quality line of marine electronic equipment in the Northeast area. In his ca- pacity he will direct his efforts to- ward the sale of ENCRON Auto- matic Pilots.

Energy Control headquarters are located at 13290 S.E. 30th Street,

Bellevue, Wash. 98005.

Topping Elected

To Litton Board

Dr. Norman H. Topping, chancel- lor of the University of Southern

California, has been elected to the board of directors of Litton Indus- tries.

Dr. Topping's election came dur- ing Litton's 17th annual stockhold- ers' meeting in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The 12 incumbent members of the board were also elected by Litton stockholders.

The 1 14,849-dwt Niihata Maru, shown on trials, will test out the operation of the mini computer as applied to the main machinery under all types of conditions. 24 Maritime Reporter/Engineering Hews