Dutch shipbuilding group Damen has announced a new strategy for its Gothenburg shipyard in Sweden, aimed at becoming the leading shipyard in the Nordic region.
Under the new strategy, the long-established shipyard Götaverken Cityvarvet is now changing its name to Damen Shiprepair Götaverken (DSGö). The company has been part of the Damen Shipyards Group since 2000. Damen has more than 35 shipyards and related companies around the world, eight of which are dedicated to repairs, conversion and maintenance. Götaverken is the third-largest of those eight, and one of the largest specialist ship repair yards in northern Europe.
With a greater focus on environmental initiatives, investments and new jobs, the new strategy to has also led DSGö to buy up both floating docks they have been using, as well as refurbishing and making new investments at the facility in the Port of Gothenburg.
Damen's increased order book for wind-farm support vessels reflects the fact that the offshore industry does not seem to have been hit so hard by the economic downturn. This goes especially for fast crew suppliers, Twin-Axe support vessels (able to transfer crew onto wind turbines in wave heights of 2.5 metres) and platform supply vessels (PSVs). Consequently, DSGö expects to see increased revenues from the Norwegian and Scottish offshore industry over the next two or three years.
The company is also increasing investments in internal communications and improving efficiency. Its internal training programme is designed to promote excellent opportunities to advance within the company. DSGö sees this as strategically important to maintain and build on the existing expertise and knowhow of the workforce.
DSGö currently employs 130 people and has a turnover of SEK300 million (US$44 million). Profits have generally shown an upward trend over the last five years, despite a slump in 2011 that was mainly due to the faltering market. The company was founded back in 1841 under the name of Göteborgs Mekaniska Verkstad. Since the shipyard reopened in 1993 – with around 70 employees – it has completed over 1,000 contracts for the repair, maintenance and refitting of various vessels.