All electric

Sturdy dimensions: Winch production at Rapp Hydema is going full steam ahead, and sometimes the sheer size of the product is awesome. "The name of the game is to stay out in front," is MD Inge Henning Andersen's message.

”Yes, indeed, revolution would be a good word,” agrees Rapp Marine’s VP Winch Division, Tor S. Andersen. He is referring to the new electric-driven, fluid-cooled winch that Rapp Hydema has developed and patented. ”A massive environmental step forward. In one fell swoop we eradicate the risk of oil spills and human contact with potentially harmful hydraulic fluid,” enthuses Andersen.

Pure gain

And it doesn’t stop here: there are even more developments that make Rapp winches so sought-after. A word to remember is heave-compensation.

”Very briefly it means a winch that makes sure the ROV cage hanging way down on the control wire stays still in the water despite the mother ship’s motion with the waves. A stable position is critical as the ROV enters and exits its cage – and with a heave-compensated winch system this is achieved.”

”It means ships can work more days of the year – pure gain, in other words,” adds Rapp Hydema’s MD, Inge Henning Andersen. Or, as Product Manager Roger Jensen (31) who works on electric system development puts it: ”An entirely new world where reports have been excellent.”

”When you have to keep control of a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), then a winch that provides maximum stability is worth its weight in gold,” affirms Jensen.

”Our customers are not buying a winch – they are buying a function they defined themselves,” adds Ben Bolsøy (52), Head of R/D at Rapp Hydema.

Fact sheet about ROVs

Remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) is the commonly accepted name for tethered underwater robots in the offshore industry. ROVs are unmanned, highly manoeuvrable and operated by a person aboard the mother ship. They are linked to the ship by a tether (sometimes referred to as an umbilical cable): a group of cables that carry electrical power, video and data signals back and forth between the operator and the vehicle. High power applications will often use hydraulics in addition to electrical cabling. Most ROVs are equipped with at least a video camera and flood lights. Additional equipment is routinely added to expand the vehicle’s capabilities. This may include sonars, magnetometers, a still camera, a manipulator or cutting arm, water samplers, and instruments that measure water clarity, light penetration and temperature.

Tailor-made

Since much of what we make at Rapp Hydema is ground-breaking stuff, it is vital that development engineers work in close consultation with customers. ”We can’t fund everything inhouse, so we agree to pilot projects where the customer chips in from the outset – including financially,” explains Bolsøy.

”We are hand-tailors,” as Inge Henning Andersen puts it.

Rapp Hydema, with a workforce of about 75, can expect to reach about 120 million in sales this year. Now the mission is to further improve the earnings margin. Andersen explains: ”We are honing our focus and concentrating more fully on sales.”

Another point is to ensure close monitoring of production and improve progress. ”The decisive thing is to apply resources at the right time,” Andersen concludes.

Better control

It also means that the company has to look further ahead.

”We see that it is getting ever harder to procure parts and components from subvendors. In some cases they are asking for twice or three-times the lead times. If we are to meet our deadlines, then we have to make sure that everything is on the shelf when we need it,” declares Andersen.

There is no doubt in Andersen’s mind that the fall season will be an exciting period at Hydema: ”We have the skill sets. We have the products. We have the solutions. We just have to roll up our sleeves.”

MD Inge Henning Andersen