Post by ferryfast admin on Jul 27, 2012 10:22:24 GMT -5
Austal bucks job outsourcing to protect technology, quality
Published on Friday, 27 July 2012 00:00
Written by JENNIFER AMBANTA
www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/business/shipping-and-transportation/9399-austal-bucks-job-outsourcing-to-protect-technology-quality
Austal, a global defense contractor and builder of customized aluminum commercial and naval ships, will not outsource jobs to safeguard its intellectual property rights and protect the quality of its products, its chief executive Andrew Bellamy said.
Bellamy said in an interview that the company’s plan to transfer technology to the Philippines from Australia is part of its expansion plans to cover the market in Asia.
However, Bellamy ruled out outsourcing as an option for Austal.
“Our best option is not to share (Austal’s shipbuilding process),” he said.
Bellamy explained that Austal has a very unique process of building ships that may affect quality when outsourced.
“We’d rather take care of the quality, that’s us,” Bellamy said.
Austal, which began its business in 1988 building high-quality commercial vessels for the international market, is now a global leader in the design and construction of customized aluminum defense and commercial ships.
Bellamy said that Austal builds a ship at sea by constructing “blocks” and eventually putting them together. He said, for example, that it takes nine to 15 months to put together one camataran, one of Austal’s commercial vessels.
At its shipyard in Balamban, Cebu, the company is building its first trimaran, which will be delivered to a customer in the United Kingdom next year.
The Wind Express series trimaran, a multihulled vessel with one main hull and two smaller, outrigger-like hulls, is the newest among the fastest and most advanced commercial vessels in the company’s product range.
Stretching 24 meters in length and with top speed of 40 knots, the whole vessel is made of aluminum to ensure it is light enough to reach its maximum speed potential.
The company delivered its first trimaran in the United States in 2005.
To date, Austal has a 35 percent market share in sales of high-speed ferries.
Austal was founded in 1988 and was listed on the Australia Stock Exchange in 1998. It has its main office in Australia and has offices in the United States, Europe, Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia. It operates three shipyards – one of which is the facility in Balamban, Cebu. The two other yards are in Perth, Australia, and in Mobile, Alabama.
According to Austal, the Balamban office employs 115 people and will soon increase the headcount to 250. Bellamy said 90 percent of the work force will be Filipinos.
As of end-June, the company had delivered 248 vessels to its international customers made up of ferry companies and defense establishments.
Published on Friday, 27 July 2012 00:00
Written by JENNIFER AMBANTA
www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/business/shipping-and-transportation/9399-austal-bucks-job-outsourcing-to-protect-technology-quality
Austal, a global defense contractor and builder of customized aluminum commercial and naval ships, will not outsource jobs to safeguard its intellectual property rights and protect the quality of its products, its chief executive Andrew Bellamy said.
Bellamy said in an interview that the company’s plan to transfer technology to the Philippines from Australia is part of its expansion plans to cover the market in Asia.
However, Bellamy ruled out outsourcing as an option for Austal.
“Our best option is not to share (Austal’s shipbuilding process),” he said.
Bellamy explained that Austal has a very unique process of building ships that may affect quality when outsourced.
“We’d rather take care of the quality, that’s us,” Bellamy said.
Austal, which began its business in 1988 building high-quality commercial vessels for the international market, is now a global leader in the design and construction of customized aluminum defense and commercial ships.
Bellamy said that Austal builds a ship at sea by constructing “blocks” and eventually putting them together. He said, for example, that it takes nine to 15 months to put together one camataran, one of Austal’s commercial vessels.
At its shipyard in Balamban, Cebu, the company is building its first trimaran, which will be delivered to a customer in the United Kingdom next year.
The Wind Express series trimaran, a multihulled vessel with one main hull and two smaller, outrigger-like hulls, is the newest among the fastest and most advanced commercial vessels in the company’s product range.
Stretching 24 meters in length and with top speed of 40 knots, the whole vessel is made of aluminum to ensure it is light enough to reach its maximum speed potential.
The company delivered its first trimaran in the United States in 2005.
To date, Austal has a 35 percent market share in sales of high-speed ferries.
Austal was founded in 1988 and was listed on the Australia Stock Exchange in 1998. It has its main office in Australia and has offices in the United States, Europe, Caribbean, the Middle East, and Asia. It operates three shipyards – one of which is the facility in Balamban, Cebu. The two other yards are in Perth, Australia, and in Mobile, Alabama.
According to Austal, the Balamban office employs 115 people and will soon increase the headcount to 250. Bellamy said 90 percent of the work force will be Filipinos.
As of end-June, the company had delivered 248 vessels to its international customers made up of ferry companies and defense establishments.