Strong demand for DMC nozzles and other ship parts leads to expansion in both China and Poland

Damen Marine Components (DMC) has seen such strong demand for propeller nozzles and other ship parts that it has embarked on a considerable production capacity expansion. The offshore industry particularly, is driving demand.

Steef Staal, DMC Managing Director, says: “We had a fantastic year in 2012 and it is still looking positive this year, so it was vital to extend our production capacity. There has been much more demand for nozzles from the offshore industry but also for other parts. Increasingly clients are using Dynamic Positioning, which is leading to more demand and existing clients have also seen significant growth.”

Already this year DMC has expanded its production capacity in Poland with a new 3,000 sq m covered facility in Elblag, near Gdansk. This joins DMC’s existing 30,000 sq m site in Gdansk. Additionally, DMC has been investing in new pipe bending and welding equipment.

The company is also undergoing an expansion in Suzhou, China where its other main production facility is based. With the substantial growth and new products, it is necessary to have a much larger facility in China as well. The new facility will probably be built near Shanghai. Mr Staal is hopeful that the new production plant could be fully operational by the end of the year. The second spinning machine on order is set to be installed in China in the first half of 2014.

Closer to home, with the increase in production, DMC is also increasing staff numbers and its headquarters in Hardinxveld-Giessendam are undergoing a refurbishment to accommodate this.

Commenting on the future, he says: “Our quality is being recognised worldwide, and because we are producing in lower cost countries we can remain competitive but still retain top Damen quality. We have a very busy year coming up, with a healthy orderbook. And we are very much looking forward to our expansion in Poland and building a new facility in China.”