Reintjes

  • Reintjes is a name known well in maritime circles, a German engineering and manufacturing company which has designed and built some of the most rugged gearboxes on the waterways. Klaus Deleroi took the helm at Reintjes in January 2015, and he is in the midst of steering a change in mindset at the company: a mindset that is more customer-centric to better understand and fulfill the needs of the people and companies that own and operate vessels. We met with Deleroi in his Hameln, Germany, HQ for insights on the path ahead.

    When Klaus Deleroi decided to switch gears on his career, leaving a life time of selling engines – first for MTU for 14 years including five years heading sales in Asia, and then for MAN Diesel & Turbo as the global head of four-stroke engine sales – the decision to take the helm of Reintjes simply felt right. From the outset he liked the approach from the company, as his predecessor at the helm of Reintjes first came to him a full 30 months in advance of his retirement to gauge Deleroi’s interest in running the company. Next he appreciated that Reintjes, as a trust-owned company, has the luxury of making decisions and business plans with the long-term in mind, not beholden to the oft fickle masses that can drive public companies.

    “My dream always was to own a company, but running Reintjes is about as close as you can get to running your own company,” Deleroi said. “I am the managing director, and we are a trust-based company, which gives to us very long-term incentives, meaning we think long-term and make long-term investments.”

    Finally, an entrepreneur at heart, Deleroi saw Reintjes as a challenge. While long-holding the dream of owning and running his own company, he viewed the Reintjes top post as an opportunity to meld his outgoing, people-first business principles with the exceptional engineering and manufacturing pedigree of Reintjes, ultimately aiming to make the company a more dominant player in the global maritime market while expanding its horizons into industrial applications.
    But Deleroi is quick to admit that his first inclination on taking the top seat was wrong.

    “When I joined Reintjes I made an oath to myself: for two months I will sit here and I will talk to a lot of people and learn,” said Deleroi. “I knew Reintjes from my MTU and MAN days, and I dislike new bosses that come in and think  ‘everything is wrong, this is right.’ Unfortunately though, after three days, I sat in my ‘hut’ here and thought ‘no, I cannot just sit here; I have to start making decisions now to make some changes.’”
     
    People First
    Deleroi is well versed in German excellence in engineering, and he knows the quality of product is the rule to survive long-term in the rigorous maritime environment. But he also believes that producing a great product is simply not enough, particularly in the modern maritime world. His vision of Reintjes extends far beyond the factory floor, as he sees the company evolving to become a true knowledge partner on all matters maritime propulsion. His mission is to get the entire organization, top to bottom, moving forward with a unified understanding of the customer – an understanding their business, of the particular ways in which they operate their vessels, and of their needs. “The customer is front and center, always,” Deleroi said.

    “Engineering know-how is our strength; inside and out we know how the gearbox is functioning and how it needs to be fitted,” said Deleroi. “But a weakeness is the organization structure, which is focused too much on production and product-related; we have to open up to become more flexible and to adapt to customer needs even on a per-order basis.”

    When he was being courted by Reintjes, he saw a solid company with robust products and good people, with that caveat. “The organization needed some fine-tuning to adapt to the market,” said Deleroi. “What we have to do is put the customer in center of our focus in everything that we do.  You need to understand the customer and their needs; you need to know how they use their boats. The same applies for our ‘second leg’ that we want to build up, and that is the industrial gear market.”

    The Propulsion Train Specialist
    Just prior to our arrival Reintjes has completed its global sales and marketing summit, gathering sales and service personnel and distributors from around the globe for three days of intensive meetings and team bonding. From this emerged the skeleton of what Deleroi envisions as a long-term plan forward.

    Deleroi and his team are working to deliver a 10-year plan, with incremental steps along the way, that will define not only the company will operate, but how and where it will sell it products and services. Part of that plan undoubtedly will be a substantial, prolonged investment in people and training; training with the goal of ensuring that all on the Reintjes team are pointed in the same direction with purpose and an eye on the customer and its needs. “We discussed that just this morning,” Deleroi said. “I want to have the company work to be more of a consultant with our customers.  I want this company to be renowned as the propulsion train specialist; in the end they might not sell me the whole thing, but they can consult with me on the whole propulsion train; This is my vision.”

    Playing the role of power train expert is particularly topical in today’s maritime industry, as owners are under consistent pressure to meet ever stricter emissions targets. While the main focus has been on primary power plant and fuel, Deleroi said the changes can impact the entire power train. “The ratings and set up of the gearbox can be a bit different,” said Deleroi. As the power range of the engine is changing, the speed is changing too, sometimes requiring different gearbox ratios. Also when the engine makers change their combustion, the momentum curve is changing too, meaning that consideration must be given to the gearbox too, to ensure most efficient operation.

    Deleroi well understands the need to deliver a robust and technically correct gearbox solutions to its customers. It is the melding of the personnel and the technical though that is the critical factor in forging the company’s path ahead, as understanding customer needs, working with customers to deliver the best technical solution, goes hand-in-hand with developing efficiently designed and manufactured custom products and systems to meet those demands. “There is an intelligent way in which we can bring both together,” said Deleroi, meaning the manufacturing efficiency benefits of a standard product line melded with the individual customization per client requests. “It is possible to have lean manufacturing while having one-off products. I don’t see Reintjes as a mass producer of gearboxes, meaning that we deliver 2000 gearboxes of one type, for example. I see our strengths in our engineering know-how adapted to special solutions for customers, while still having a base of standard gearboxes.”

    Fickle Markets

    When asked about the indicators monitored by Reintjes to accurately assess the future direction of its business, Deleroi’s answer was a bit ominous: the price of oil and activity in China.

    “Of course one indicator is the oil price, which is a big indicator for the offshore oil industry. When the oil price goes below $70 per barrel,” offshore oil and gas drilling activities tend to dry up.

    While the price of oil bears a direct and readily visible connection to offshore oil and gas activities, the impact of Chinese industrial activity is perhaps a bit more obscure but equally significant. With industrial activity on the wane in China, there is lower-demand for coal, meaning lower demand too for the inland tow and barges that bring the coal to market or to offload to bigger ships. There are various other bits of information, following charter rates for example, but the real market intelligence comes from information gathered from our clients, from talking to people, said Deleroi, as it is the engine makers, the designers and naval architects that generally are the first ones to know of emerging trends, serving as bellwethers for the market at large. “Two of the market sectors are presently down – the offshore business and the tugboat business – so we have to compensate with additional business from other market segments,” said Deleroi. In particular, he sees four market sectors primed for growth:
    •    Yacht Business: Reintjes sees growth here, particularly with its new Fortjes podded system;
    •    Fishing Business: The fishing fleet around the world is very old and is in need of being rebuilt and renovated.
    •    Military & Government business: As the world is increasingly in conflict, more countries are investing in patrol boats, frigates and corvettes.
    •    Industrial Business: This is a ‘second leg’ for Reintjes. To date it has seven gearboxes sold, with five running. “The customer’s are currently very happy with our quality, and this is an area where we want to grow, mainly in the steam turbine market. We are lucky in that with MAN Diesel & Turbo we have a good references (the first six units are sold to them).”

    The Reintjes Product Family

    As a true German engineered solutions company, the Reintjes brand starts and ends with a rugged product line-up for the maritime market that is field-proven and manufactured to the highest degree of quality. First and foremost, the Reintjes name is synonymous with marine gearboxes, and it offers a broad selection from small to large, for propellers, waterjets and turbo gearboxes, mainly targeting rigorous applications in the Workboat, Fast Naval Craft, Fast Ferries and Yachts. The company has an expanded range of “Special” gearbox solutions that includes:
    •    The Fortjes podded package, a space-saving design with a hybrid option available.
    •    A Hybrid Gearbox which is ideal for slow-speed operations, and electric drives to promote smooth running, low noise and low energy consumption.
    •    Dredging Gearboxes developed specifically to handle the rigors of dredging, including on pumps installed inside the vessel and dredge pumps in use under water.
    •    Step-up Gearboxes.


    Investment in People

    On the occasion of interviewing Klaus Deleroi, the new managing director of Reintjes, a group of sales and service agents from around the globe, including Ralph, Karl and Chris Senner from Karl Senner Inc., the Reintjes distributor in North America were in Hameln, Germany for a week of sales and marketing meetings. The Senner organization is a unique entity in Deleroi’s view, as it has fully embraced the notion of not simply selling product, rather gaining experience and knowledge of the product, system and manufacture process, and melding this with depth and insight on customer needs. Ralph, Karl and Chris have actually worked in the Reintjes factory for extended periods, with Ralph working in Hameln for three years in the 1970s, and brothers Karl and Chris living and working in Hameln for a full year recently, working in all aspects of design and manufacture to gain invaluable knowledge along the way. “I think our machining capability and our facilities are good, I think the biggest investment that we need to make is our investment in people, which goes together with our new philosophy to be more customer orientated, understanding our customer’s needs and how they are using their machines,” said Deleroi. “The Senner’s are actually a perfect example” of the philosophy I am trying to impart across our entire sales and marketing network, in terms of learning the product, learning the process inside and out, and melding that with knowledge of the customer’s needs. “We have to speak to our clients eye-to-eye, and not just to give a sales pitch. This is where we have to invest in the training of our people.”


    (As published in the November 2015 edition of Maritime Reporter & Engineering News - http://magazines.marinelink.com/Magazines/MaritimeReporter)

  • ; both of which will allow operators to remain tier compliant without the use of after-treatment.   Way back in 1967, Karl H. Senner sold the very first Reintjes Gearbox in the North America to Dickie Gonsoulin of LeBeouf Towing. Since that time, the inland waterways have always been a core focus of the Karl

  • Karl Senner Inc., Kenner, La., the North American distributor of Reintjes marine gears, is offering a free color brochure on Reintjes marine gearboxes. The colorful publication offers a bevy of information on the West German-based Reintjes marine gearboxes, from reverse reduction gearboxes for fast

  • —Literature AvailableKarl Senner, Inc., of Kenner, La., the North American distributor for Reintjes marine gears has been in business since 1972 and has sold nearly 1500 gearboxes ranging in size from 100-10,000 hp. Reintjes/Karl Senner, Inc., has developed a strong position in the U.S. market by

  • Reintjes presented its IPP System (Integrated Propulsion Package), jointly developed with Lips, for the first time in Germany more than two years ago. It marked the largest product offensive in the history of the company, and marked a vast expansion of its propulsion prod- ucts, particularly in the

  • The Company: Founded in 1979, Reintjes GmbH is an independent propulsion technology company that manufactures thousands of gearboxes annually. More than 90,000 units have been supplied to customers worldwide. Over time, Reintjes has expanded its product portfolio of marine gearboxes for engine ratings from

  • Eugen-Reintjes-Straße 7, 31785 Hamelin, Germany Telephone: 49 5151 1040 E-mail: [email protected] Website: reintjes-gears.de President: Dr. Christian Schliephack Number of employees: 700 The Company: Reintjes GmbH is an independent propulsion technology company that manufactures 1,300 gearboxes

  • after the vessel was recovered from the waters of Texas City harbor, it was refurbished and placed back into service. In 1967, Karl Senner sold his first Reintjes gearbox for installation in the United States to LeBeouf Brothers towing. The Reintjes WAV 721 gearbox was installed in the Mary R for use with

  • after the vessel was recovered from the waters of Texas City harbor, it was refurbished and placed back into service. In 1967, Karl Senner sold his first Reintjes gearbox for installation in the United States to LeBeouf Brothers towing. The Reintjes WAV 721 gearbox was installed in the Mary R for use with the

  • 3516B main engines rated at 2,000-hp each at 1,600 rpm. Also included are Caterpillar Engine Vision Alarm and Monitoring System, coupled to Reintjes WAF-862 gearboxes with 96-in. diameter four-blade stainless steel propellers. Specialized equipment includes a 1,000 hp Thrustmaster retractable

  • . More recently, he served as general manager for MTU of North America. Karl Senner, Inc. of New Orleans, La., is the U.S. representative for Reintjes, a leading manufacturer of m a r i n e r e d u c t i on gears. For a free four-page brochure and/or further information on Reintjes marine reduction

  • between Gonsoulin and Karl Senner LLC. LeBeouf Bros. Towing and Karl Senner LLC  forged a bond more than 45 years ago when Karl Senner sold the first Reintjes gearbox ever sold in the U.S.  for installation in the United States to LeBeouf Brothers towing, aboard the M/V Mary R, which was a single screw tugboat

  • MN Mar-25#23  engines are paired with two Reintjes WAF 6755  line operations)
    March 2025 - Marine News page: 23

    comparing this 11,000 HP class towboat to produce 11,000 hp. smaller 6,000 HP class towboats frequently used for main- The engines are paired with two Reintjes WAF 6755 line operations, this larger horsepower vessel will increase reduction gears from Karl Senner, LLC, while generator ef? ciency by 20%

  • MR Dec-24#38  HP class towboat to smaller 
Reintjes WAF 6755 reduction gears)
    December 2024 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 38

    Z-drives used for mainline operations. approximately 11,000 hp. The engines are paired with two “When comparing this 11,000 HP class towboat to smaller Reintjes WAF 6755 reduction gears from Karl Senner, LLC, 6,000 HP class towboats frequently used for mainline operations, while generator power comes from

  • MN Nov-24#40  engines are paired with 
two Reintjes WAF 6755 reduction gears)
    November 2024 - Marine News page: 40

    Top Vessels ACBL Mariner approximately 11,000 HP. The engines are paired with two Reintjes WAF 6755 reduction gears from Karl Senner, LLC, while generator power comes from three Caterpil- lar 275-kilowatt (kW) generators. The towboat is out? tted with CT Marine CT28-SL nozzles housing 124-inch di- ameter

  • MN Jun-24#41 ,000 HP at 900 RPM and driving Reintjes WAF 3445 
3.083:1 reduction)
    June 2024 - Marine News page: 41

    of cars and up to six trucks. The vessel is powered by twin EPA Tier 4 Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD) 12 ME 23B, rated 3,000 HP at 900 RPM and driving Reintjes WAF 3445 3.083:1 reduction gears delivering power to ? xed pitch Eastern Shipbuilding Group propellers. It will be capable of operating at 17 knots

  • MR Nov-23#67  FEATURE: GEARS
Image courtesy Reintjes
Karl Senner  Chris Senner)
    November 2023 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 67

    TECH FEATURE: GEARS Image courtesy Reintjes Karl Senner Chris Senner Reintjes Hybrid System hybrids, fully electric vessels, energy storage systems, fuel cells, alternative fuels, and everything in between. Key areas of increased penetration in the market include de- livering Reintjes solutions to the

  • MR Nov-23#66  and service provider of REINTJES Gearboxes. 
st
Today)
    November 2023 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 66

    player in the marine propulsion sector, known for marine propulsion, most commonly known as the North American distributor and service provider of REINTJES Gearboxes. st Today, as it enters its 51 year, the company has built a presence that exceeds the selling/servicing of heavy machinery, positioning

  • MN Apr-23#40  11,000 HP,  paired with two Reintjes 
WAF 6755 reduction gears)
    April 2023 - Marine News page: 40

    . The mighty vessel will be powered by two Louisiana CAT-supplied Caterpillar C280-12 main engines produc- ing approximately 11,000 HP, paired with two Reintjes WAF 6755 reduction gears from Karl Senner, LLC. Gen- erator power will come from three Caterpillar 275 kW generators. The towboat will be out? tted

  • MN Jul-22#40  engines and gensets, Reintjes gear-
boxes and a Spear)
    July 2022 - Marine News page: 40

    and vessel auxiliary power to create a clean, quiet form of propulsion. The vessel will be equipped with Caterpillar propulsion engines and gensets, Reintjes gear- boxes and a Spear energy storage system, integrated with BAE Systems’ electric motors and power electronics. Senesco Marine Dorado A new high-speed

  • MR Apr-22#39  a quick overview of how the Reintjes family of prod-
ucts)
    April 2022 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 39

    , of course, is our machines; [our future is dependent on having] state-of- the-art machines in our factory shop. Can you give a quick overview of how the Reintjes family of prod- ucts has changed most during your seven years at the helm? Over the last seven years, the markets [continue to change, for example

  • MR Apr-22#38  GEARS 
All photos courtesy Reintjes
Fair enough. As the maritime)
    April 2022 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 38

    TECH FEATURE GEARS All photos courtesy Reintjes Fair enough. As the maritime industry is pressed to reduce its emissions, this includes emerging variety of fuel choices, power sources, and hybrid drives. How has this impacted Reintjes? At Reintjes we also want to ride the wave of decarbonization, and

  • MR Apr-22#37  GEARS TECH FEATURE GEARS 
“At Reintjes we also want to ride)
    April 2022 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 37

    TECH FEATURE GEARS TECH FEATURE GEARS “At Reintjes we also want to ride the wave of decarbonization, and currently, 80% of the inquiries we get from our customers – shipyards and owners – are regarding hybrid.” – Klaus Deleroi, Managing Director, Reintjes Photo courtesy Reintjes ner and distributor

  • MR Apr-22#36  Deleroi, managing director, Reintjes, 
at the company’s headquarter)
    April 2022 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 36

    TECH FEATURE GEARS GEARING UP for Hybrid Drives Seven years ago we visited Klaus Deleroi, managing director, Reintjes, at the company’s headquarters in Hameln, Germany, shortly after he took the top spot at this storied maritime drive manufacturer which dates back to 1879. This month we caught up with

  • MR Apr-22#8  Engineering (KSOE)
26
“At Reintjes we also want to ride)
    April 2022 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 8

    Level 3 and 4, will most likely happen post 2030.” Sungjoon Kim Sr. Execut ve Vice President, Korea Shipbuilding & O? shore Engineering (KSOE) 26 “At Reintjes we also want to ride the wave of of decarbonizat on, and currently, 80% of the e inquiries we get from our customers – shipyards ards and owners

  • MR Apr-22#2  Metal” photo here
Source: Reintjes
Features
18  U.S. OffshoreWind)
    April 2022 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 2

    NO. 4 / VOL. 84 / APRIL 2022 On the Cover Source: Maersk Supply Service “Heavy Metal” photo here Source: Reintjes Features 18 U.S. OffshoreWind: What’s New in ‘22 Departments The U.S. offshore wind market is building strong roots for a solid future. But as the market develops from its current Northeast

  • MR Dec-21#31  two engines powering one ABS Reintjes 
John Waterhouse, chief)
    December 2021 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 31

    L12ME23B at 750 rpm EPA Tier 4 marine propul- ? rst time serve as an outdoor walking track for riders. sion engines with two engines powering one ABS Reintjes John Waterhouse, chief concept engineer at EBDG, said DUP 3000 P combining gear and one ABS 36 RV6 ECS/285- a key priority when designing the Ollis

  • MN Nov-21#58 , that are paired with three Reintjes WAF 1173 H/V  zled setup)
    November 2021 - Marine News page: 58

    all of this in QSK60-M main engines, provided by Cummins Mid- mind, we are convinced that this conventional, kort noz- South, that are paired with three Reintjes WAF 1173 H/V zled setup with the double steering rudder arrangement reduction gears, provided by Karl Senner, LLC. The ser- gets us the best of

  • MN Dec-20#29  is based on a 
with three Reintjes WAF 1173 H/V reduction)
    December 2020 - Marine News page: 29

    need, Zornes said. gines, provided by Cummins Mid-South, that are paired According to the shipbuilder, the vessel design is based on a with three Reintjes WAF 1173 H/V reduction gears, provid- proven concept that has been enhanced to modern standards ed by Karl Senner, LLC. The service power is provided

  • MN Nov-20#36  17.6’ Rev/Red Gear: (2) Reintjes WAF873 Reduction Gears)
    November 2020 - Marine News page: 36

    123’ Main Engine: (2) MTU 16V-4,000 M64 Main Propulsion Engines, 2250 BHP Length (oa): 128’-4” each @ 1600 RPM Depth (mld): 17.6’ Rev/Red Gear: (2) Reintjes WAF873 Reduction Gears, Ratio 7.454:1, with Breadth (mld): 35’ internal shaft brakes Draft (max): 16’ Prop Shaft: (2) 9 ½ ” Type 316 st. stl. Shafts

  • MN Nov-20#35  each of the new tugs with two REINTJES WAF 873 
sels end up)
    November 2020 - Marine News page: 35

    as possible to give the Karl Senner, LLC crew a better ride, Babcock said. “Many times, our ves- Karl Senner, LLC equipped each of the new tugs with two REINTJES WAF 873 sels end up slowing down because the crew can’t take it, reverse reduction gearboxes, each with 7.454:1 single-stage reduction, AMOT temperature

  • MN Sep-20#54 , that are paired to two Reintjes  allow for the fabrication)
    September 2020 - Marine News page: 54

    two Cummins QSK38- M1 main engines, provided panel line assembly seam welder and automatic dart welder by Cummins Mid-South, that are paired to two Reintjes allow for the fabrication of panels up to 40’ x 100’. The WAF 665 reduction gears, provided by Karl Senner, LLC. Vernon Tool Company computerized

  • MN Aug-20#73  generation. In 1967  tive for Reintjes Marine Transmissions)
    August 2020 - Marine News page: 73

    owned and operated by his Senner, LLC is the exclusive sales and service representa- son and grandsons entering the third generation. In 1967 tive for Reintjes Marine Transmissions, Steerprop Azimuth Karl sold the very ? rst Reintjes gearbox in North America, Thrusters, and EPD Marine Electrical Systems

  • MR Jul-20#52  
engines powering one ABS 
Reintjes DUP 3000 P combin-
ing)
    July 2020 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 52

    each ferry featuring four ABS Electro- Motive Diesel (EMD) 12-710 at 900 rpm EPA Tier 4 marine propulsion engines with two engines powering one ABS Reintjes DUP 3000 P combin- ing gear and one ABS 36 RV6 ECS/285-2 Voith Schneider Propeller at each end of the Photo: Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex vessel

  • MR Mar-20#36 , LLC is proud to supply the REINTJES Dual-
Michael H. Ollis)
    March 2020 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 36

    FERRIES The Ollis Class Ferries Eastern Shipbuilding Group, Inc. (ESG) launched the SSG “Karl Senner, LLC is proud to supply the REINTJES Dual- Michael H. Ollis (Hull 219) in November 2019, the first of Input Combining Gearboxes onboard the new Staten Island three new Staten Island Ollis Class Ferries

  • MR Mar-20#35  Senner, LLC supplied the Reintjes Dual-Input 
Combining)
    March 2020 - Maritime Reporter and Engineering News page: 35

    FERRIES “Karl Senner, LLC supplied the Reintjes Dual-Input Combining Gearboxes onboard the new Staten Island Ollis Class Ferries. Each ferry is equipped with two Reintjes DUG 3000P combining gearboxes. Each gearbox is driven by two 3,000hp EMD 12-710 tier 4 diesel engines, and drives a single Voith