Siemens puts a specialized mobile workshop in a box

The new logistics concept based on a modular container solution allows Siemens to carry out maintenance work in the dock quickly, smoothly and reliably

JULY 22, 2016 — To facilitate maintenance work on its Siship eSipod drive when ships are in dry dock, Siemens AG has developed what it calls “a unique logistics concept based on a modular container solution.”

Essentially, that involves putting a specialist workshop into a standard shipping container.

By using the customized container, Siemens is able to achieve efficient import/export handling processes at any time of the day or night.

The mobile workshop helps Siemens to shorten maintenance times by up to 15 percent, creates improved access and reduces risks during maintenance work.

The container does not simply hold standard tools and lifting gear. It is air conditioned and heated and has a lighting system that allows work to be carried out anytime, anywhere.

Special tools are available to check not only the drives themselves but also all related electrical and mechanical components, such as inverters, energy distribution systems, automation systems and controls.

Using this type of container in the dry dock for the first during the inspection of a ferry owned by major operator, Siemens service staff were able to overhaul or exchange wear-and-tear parts of the Siship eSipod drives within a minimal amount of time, while also checking the remaining electrical and mechanical components.

Two teams worked in two shifts which, along with the logistics advantages of the concept, made it possible to reduce maintenance times by two days, compared to a previous service carried by Siemens staff. out on a sister ship.

“Over the last three years, we have identified improvement potential when working on similar maintenance assignments, for instance with respect to the shipyard’s own tools, logistics and our team’s competences,” says Ernst-Christoph Krackhardt, Head of Customer Service at Siemens Marine. “We developed these and other aspects, bringing them together to form a novel logistics concept.”

Based on this positive experience, Siemens is planning to deploy another service container to serve as a mobile ship service workshop in the Pacific area.