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10Maritime Reporter & Engineering News INTERVIEWDR. RENÉ UMLAUFT, MAN DIESEL & TURBO sub-Sahara Africa.?The main point is to put the focus tothe regions worldwide, and to have some- body who is the face to the region, to the customers, to the suppliers, to the gov- ernment, to the press,? said Dr. Umlauft. ?One person speaking with one voice to the region on behalf of MAN, and just as importantly, to MAN Diesel & Turbo in- ternally.? At a time when many companies are eschewing increased service to bolster the bottom line, MAN Diesel & Turbo is investing money and effort to get closer to its customers in a meaningful manner. Dr. Umlauft reasons that clear focused customer service effectively lets it know even more about the markets served, a depth of knowledge about the customer and the region that ultimately helps the company to develop strategies short and long term.?We are really increasing the customer focus, not only for service, where I thinkwe are doing really well; and on the two stroke we are doing really well, but we have some fields where we can improve,? said Dr. Umlauft. While the blueprint is finished, the plan is not yet 100% implemented as the com-pany continues to round out its top man- agement teams in the nine regions, a process Dr. Umlauft estimates will be completed in early 2013. The Power Play While Dr. Umlauft is not long-tenured in the marine business, he explains that there are many similarities between shore side and at-sea businesses. ?I think that the main point is to steerthe company through economically diffi- cult times!,? said Dr. Umlauft. It is with this clarity of vision that he and his col-leagues in management, sales, productionand service have embarked to refine and in some instances redefine this historic company and its family of technical so- lutions. Part of the plan to extend the field presence of MAN Diesel & Turbo is the opening of several new service hubs in 2013, e.g. in Halifax, Vancouver, Dakar and Quito. ?This expansion is needed to have the right service support, to be where the customer needs you to be,? he said. While he admits the tough world economy has had obvious impact on his company?s business, Dr. Umlauft is quick to point out that there are plentiful op-portunities today, and enhancing the company?s regional focus will help to root them out.?I think the prospective for the mar- itime business overall is difficult at this time, and I think that we have to go mar- ket segment by market segment,? said Dr. Umlauft. ?We have mentioned one par- ticularly big order and opportunity (therecently announced $33b Canadian Navy contract) and I think that worldwide the Navy business looks interesting. I have had a discussions with the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard regarding their plans going forward. Also, the offshore business and special vessels for offshore applications. For example, I look to Brazil, where they must go really deep to get their oil. Also, Russia looks interest- ing for special vessels, including ice- breakers.? While he continually touts the com-pany?s plan to get closer on the local level, he is quick to point out that ulti- mately the future success of the company hinges on the product, or more specifi- cally the MAN Diesel & Turbo?s ability to maintain a pipeline of technically su-perior solutions that are designed to meetthe real world needs of its diverse two- stroke and four-stroke client bay. ?One part is knowing the customers and the individual markets better,? Dr. Umlauft said. ?Another is delivering new products with higher efficiency, offering dual fuel options. The price of crude oil is the price of crude oil and I have nothing to say about that; what we have to do is come up with the products and the strate-gies to help our clients reduce the impactof rising fuel costs.? Just as the company invests in expan- sion of service, it also invests mightily in Research & Development to ensure that New Medium Strategic L35/44DF meets emissions legislation and expands thecompany?s dual-fuel power range. At a GlanceHeadquarters MAN Diesel & Turbo SE, Augsburg, Germany Key performance indicators (2011) Order intake 3.7B euro Revenue3.6B euro Operating profit 460 euro Headcount (as of Dec. 31)*14,039 ROS (%)12.7*Including subcontracted employeesOnline: www.mandieselturbo.com Chairman of the Supervisory Board Dr.-Ing. Georg Pachta-Reyhofen Spokesman of the Executive Board of MAN SE, MunichMembers of the Executive Board of MAN Diesel & Turbo SE  Dr. René Umlauft - CEO  Dr. Hans-O. Jeske  Arnd Löttgen  Dr. Peter Park  Dr. Stephan Timmermann Products and Services Engines & Marine Systems World market leader for the propulsion of seafaring vessels with a market share of around 50 per cent  World market leader for two-stroke diesel engines for seafaring vessels with a marketshare of over 80 per cent  World market leader for medium-speed, four-stroke propulsion engines  Second on the global market as a supplierof exhaust turbochargers for two-stroke and medium-speed four-stroke diesel engines Power Plants Second on the global market as a supplierof medium-speed diesel engines for stationarybase load power plants From pure genset deliveries to semi-turnkey and turnkey power plants Combined heat and power plants, DieselCombined Cycle (DCC) Excellent fuel flexibility: HFO, diesel, bio-fuels and gasTurbomachinery  Axial/radial compressors, gear-type, isother- mal and screw compressors  Up to 1,000 bar outlet pressure and volume flows of up to 1.5 million m3/hour Gas turbines up to 50 MW, steam turbines up to 150 MW output Complete turbomachinery trains includingdrive/auxiliary equipment, e.g. for the oil andgas industry, process industry and for power generation Reactors for the chemical and petrochemi- cal industriesMAN PrimeServ  Global spare parts provision and repair with own crew  Online diagnosis of machinery and engines Conversions, status analysis, performance adjustments, machinery relocation  Training for customers and operators in MAN?s own academies MR#10 (10-17):MR Template 10/2/2012 11:27 AM Page 10