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Since last December’s steel-cutting ceremony at the Wolgast shipyard (located in the northeast of Germany, close to the Polish border), the F126 project has taken its first tentative steps towards production. The first production information has been delivered to the yards and the intention is to start production activities in a measured way, gradually ramping up the tempo as 2024 progresses.
Project Director Frank Verhelst.
“This is to keep a grip on the numerous processes involved,” says F126 Project Director Frank Verhelst. “This includes quality, engineering and manufacturing engineering, and production information at the yards.” To this end, Damen Naval colleagues have been based permanently at Wolgast, Kiel and Hamburg to assist and monitor the production. This is in addition to a number of Vlissingen-based engineers who travel to Germany for periods of two to three weeks at a time. “Our project management software platform 3DX is not only new for us; it is also a new tool for our German counterparts. It is not enough to just turn up with a laptop – we are setting up a complex restricted working environment.”
Frank continues: “Having our team there – both the permanent and temporary people – is very much appreciated by the teams at the shipyards. It enables short and efficient lines of communication which are crucial to the implementation of our new production IT toolset.”
One of the aspects to which the progress at the German yards is linked, is the periodic contractual milestones that Damen Naval reaches in accordance with its client. The most recent of these has been the so-called Freigabe zum Bau for the Gesamtsystem. “This is the approval of the total design, which includes vital engineering details such a system specifications, heights, and weights. Together with the review of basic design, which was finalised last year, this demonstrates the design status of the ship. We have the green light from our client to proceed with production – it is a significant milestone,” says Frank. “It means that we can start planning the keel-laying, which we expect to happen in the summer.”
With the "Freigabe zum Bau" for the "Gesamtsystem", approval was given for the overall design.
Just as throughout the rest of Damen Naval, the Time for Change internal reorganisation has been felt in the F126 project. “We have had some key positions change on the project,” notes Frank. “Time for Change has created movement in the company – from project to line organisation and vice versa – which is a good and necessary thing.”
Because of the challenges with the 3DX implementation, among others, the STEP programme has been established with Onno Spoor as Programme Manager. STEP stands for Sustainable Tooling & Enhancement Programme and focuses on improving the processes, tooling, and training materials within the F126 project. This is also more broadly applicable across the organisation. “Together with the steering committee, I am currently busy identifying the challenges and coming up with concrete solutions,” says Onno. “I am convinced that together we are now taking the right ‘steps’ to remove the major obstacles.”