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Activities at Production are almost as ‘buzzing’ as ever. In December, the construction of a hull for Damen Yachting will start and, in anticipation of possible new naval assignments, the department is busy recruiting and training new people. “We are now working with about eighty people and want to grow to about two hundred in the long run,” says Head of Production Martin Wattel. “That is our ambition. I am therefore pleased with the management board’s decision to invest in Production again. That is a good sign. The people who work here perform excellently and there is still a lot of know-how in the department. Hopefully, this can now be put to maximum use.”
Although located at the back of the building, Martin Wattel’s office in Building 127 in Vlissingen-Oost is easily found. Martin has been Head of Production at Damen Naval since the beginning of this year. In this function, he is in charge of the many activities of his department. In fact, it is fair to speak of a rebirth of Production. “The fact that Damen Yachting awarded us the contract to build a hull for a Yacht Support Vessel, the 7211, fits nicely into this picture,” says Martin. “This job is an excellent stepping stone for us to rebuild and revitalise our department in Oost.”
Head of Production Martin Wattel.
But there is more going on. As we reported in the previous Schelde Schakels, Production has purchased a brand-new Messer cutting machine for cutting steel. Furthermore, seven apprentices were taken on to be trained as fully-fledged production workers. “But we are also working hard to strengthen our middle management,” says Martin. “This includes positions such as foreman and assistant foreman. We are recruiting new people for these jobs, but also want to prepare colleagues within our own organisation for these and other positions.”
“The vacancies were posted internally and, with the suitable candidates who responded, we have initiated a process. It is quite difficult to find young people outside the company who have the DNA of a shipbuilder. This is also due to the changing world of shipbuilding. There are fewer shipyards and fewer specialisms, and new building has largely moved to low-wage countries. That is why it is a good thing that we are now going to train professionals ourselves. That is the wish of the management and I think it is a good strategic choice. In any case, we are working hard to make this training programme a success.”
The new plasma cutter will be used to cut the steel for the new Yacht Support Vessel's hull.
For the construction of the casco for the Yacht Support Vessel in Vlissingen-Oost, Damen Naval and Damen Yachting are working closely together. To be precise, the pre-fabrication will take place in Hall 1, followed by the construction of the hull plus technical outfitting in Hall 2, while the assembly of the yacht by Damen Yachting, including the luxury fittings and yacht finish, will also take place in Hall 2. Martin: “The great advantage of this approach is that the work flows smoothly into each step. There is no break in the work because everything takes place in one and the same place.”
"The people who work here perform excellently and there is still a lot of know-how in the department. Hopefully, this can now be put to maximum use.” Martin Wattel
“Usually, the hulls for Damen Yachting are built in Galati (Romania) or Gdynia (Poland) and there is always an interruption in construction because the hull has to be transported to Vlissingen for further outfitting. This interruption is now unnecessary; in fact, thanks to this integrated collaboration at one location, Damen Yachting can start the outfitting process sooner than if the hull had been constructed elsewhere.”
According to Martin, the management’s decision to revive Production is also explicitly linked to possible new orders from the Royal Netherlands Navy. “That is why we are doing this. In any case, the outfitting of any new naval vessels will take place in Vlissingen. As far as steel construction is concerned, the scenario is that this will either take place in Vlissingen or in Galati. We are currently studying the possibility of using robots for some of the section building. We are still looking into the feasibility of this.”
The Production Department played an important role in the recent extension of superyacht Here Comes the Sun – the flagship of Damen Yachting.
The first visible sign of the rebirth of Production was the extension of superyacht Here Comes the Sun – the flagship of Damen Yachting – with Damen Yachting and Damen Naval working together side-by-side. Meanwhile, the extended Here Comes the Sun recently departed the Vlissingen Binnenhaven (inner harbour). “We had a short lead time for this challenging project. In that short space of time, the yacht was lengthened from 83 metres to 89 metres,” Martin recalls. “Our part of the work was finished in January, and Damen Yachting was busy with it until August. It was a cooperation in which both partners, thanks to creative thinking, were able to successfully complete this beautiful job. Parts of the superyacht were reused, doors were moved; but a lot was renewed at the rear of the yacht.”
The aft deck of Here Comes the Sun was extended with six metres.
“The aft deck of Here Comes the Sun had to become six metres longer. You could compare it to us cutting the yacht up into Lego bricks, and putting them back together again with new Lego blocks in between. Only, those new bricks had a length of six metres. Here Comes the Sun was also given a different colour: originally it was light beige, now it is dark blue.” Martin Wattel succeeded Frans Voermans as Head of Production on 1 January. “We are still busy implementing improvements,” he says.
“Moreover, new hand tools and welding machines had to be purchased. We are certifying the entire welding process according to the higher quality NEN 3834 standard. We are investing in people, facilities and tools. Everything is in motion; a lot is happening and there are many challenges. But it wouldn’t work without the enthusiastic, motivated and expert efforts of the wonderful group of specialists who make up our department; a team with potential in which a lot of knowledge is concentrated, people who know how it works and who know how to build a ship.”
As Head of Production, Martin is optimistic about the future. “When I look at the Royal Netherlands Navy’s new-build programme for which we are in the running, I can only say that our horizon is bright and big.”