LANKHORST EURONETE NEWS 10 JUNE 2013 Dear Readers, The newspapers write a lot about the improving European economy – but frankly, I have serious doubts about that. In Europe we have an economy of small businesses employing between 50-60% of the active workforce. In some countries of the EU this figure is even higher than 60%. All of these companies don´t issue bonds or sell equity in public markets, they rely on the banks for lending and developing their activities. But at the moment it is difficult to borrow and if at all possible the costs are prohibitive for small companies. Here I presume that if the ECB could change this situation, we could start seeing the small EU companies invest again. And with that the EU economy would eventually start to improve again. More important will be creating new jobs which are absolutely needed in economies like a.o. Spain, Portugal and Greece. With the above I mean to say that the present times aren´t the best – not only in the EU economy but in all economies worldwide – with much lower growth rates than had been expected for 2013. This also affects our business in some areas where we can already see a slowdown of activities. Saying this however, I would like to mention that our activities at WireCo Synthetics are developing stable. We have just won some additional major contracts for the offshore activities and the major part of our activities is performing according to plans. In this news letter, you can read about many new investments, awards and new projects for the future, all of which are related to the strong statement we use in our company: “No innovation - no future”. Just recently there was a change in the Presidency/CEO of WireCo WorldGroup and consequently some changes were made in the entire organization. These changes were made with the focus on connecting our activities even more with the markets in which we operate. And as the new Chief Commercial Officer of the Group I am very pleased with this new challenge given to me. José Luis Gramaxo Senior Vice President – Chief Commercial Officer WireCo WorldGroup New generation moulding machine VD22 WIRECO SYNTHETICS Every day we are fascinated by synthetics. Based on recycled and new raw materials we produce and develop high quality synthetic products. By investing continuously in people, automation, product and technology development we have become one of the fastest growing divisions of this global enterprise. In the coming years we expect to be able to realize an autonomous growth of no less than 50%. Due to our success we decided in 2012 to invest in a new machine in order to continue to meet market demand. This new generation moulding machine, operating since January 2013, was developed in-house by our R&D and Technical Departments with the input of our operators and in cooperation with local parties. Compared with our existing machines the big advantage of this new moulding machine is that we can produce bigger and heavier products, we are flexible in producing various products and the production speed is higher. As the mould is disconnected of the extruder it can be operated continuously and the operator does not have to wait for the moulds to cool down. Furthermore the machine is optimally automated which means faster handling and shorter cycle times. With this machine it is also possible to insert steel iron which is subsequently coated with synthetic material. As a result the mechanical properties of both materials can be used to the max, being the stiffness of steel and the durability of synthetics. Another big advantage is that the machine can extrude both virgin and recycled materials. Through the extrusion process our machine park can melt various forms of raw materials such as cut plastics, film, agglo- LANKHORST ENGINEERED PRODUCTS Investing in the future with the new generation moulding machine VD22 merates and re-granulates after which this is injected - under low pressure - into the moulds. Our raw materials mostly come from waste streams such as bot- tle caps, agricultural film, crates and packing materials. These are used to produce a broad range of thick-walled synthetic pro- ducts that are applied in a.o. the steel and offshore industry, infra- structure and civil engineering.
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LANKHORST EURONETE NEWS
10 J U N E 2 0 1 3
Dear Readers,
The newspapers write a lot about the improving European economy – but frankly, I have serious doubts about that. In Europe we have an economy of small businesses employing between 50-60% of the active workforce. In some countries of the EU this figure is even higher than 60%. All of these companies don´t issue bonds
or sell equity in public markets, they rely on the banks for lending and developing their activities. But at the moment it is difficult to borrow and if at all possible the costs are prohibitive for small companies. Here I presume that if the ECB could change this situation, we could start seeing the small EU companies invest again. And with that the EU economy would eventually start to improve again. More important will be creating new jobs which are absolutely needed in economies like a.o. Spain, Portugal and Greece.
With the above I mean to say that the present times aren´t the best – not only in the EU
economy but in all economies worldwide – with much lower growth rates than had been expected for 2013. This also affects our business in some areas where we can already see a slowdown of activities. Saying this however, I would like to mention that our activities at WireCo Synthetics are developing stable. We have just won some additional major contracts for the offshore activities and the major part of our activities is performing according to plans.
In this news letter, you can read about many new investments, awards and new projects for the future, all of which are related to the strong statement
we use in our company: “No innovation - no future”.
Just recently there was a change in the Presidency/CEO of WireCo WorldGroup and consequently some changes were made in the entire organization. These changes were made with the focus on connecting our activities even more with the markets in which we operate. And as the new Chief Commercial Officer of the Group I am very pleased with this new challenge given to me.
José Luis Gramaxo Senior Vice President – Chief Commercial OfficerWireCo WorldGroup
New generation moulding machine VD22
WIRECO SYNTHETICS
Every day we are fascinated by synthetics. Based on recycled and new raw materials we produce and develop high quality synthetic products. By investing continuously in people, automation, product and technology development we have become one of the fastest growing divisions of this global enterprise. In the coming years we expect to be able to realize an autonomous growth of no less than 50%. Due to our success we decided in 2012 to invest in a new machine in order to continue to meet market demand.
This new generation moulding machine, operating since January 2013, was developed in-house by our R&D and Technical Departments with the input of our operators and in cooperation with local parties.
Compared with our existing machines the big advantage of this new moulding machine is that we can produce bigger
and heavier products, we are flexible in producing various products and the production speed is higher. As the mould is disconnected of the extruder it can be operated continuously and the operator does not have to wait for the moulds to cool down. Furthermore the machine is optimally automated which means faster handling and shorter cycle times.
With this machine it is also possible to insert steel iron which is subsequently coated with synthetic material. As a result the mechanical properties of both materials can be used to the max, being the stiffness of steel and the durability of synthetics. Another big advantage is that the machine can extrude both virgin and recycled materials. Through the extrusion process our machine park can melt various forms of raw materials such as cut plastics, film, agglo-
LANKHORST ENGINEERED PRODUCTS
Investing in the future with the new generation moulding machine VD22
merates and re-granulates after which this is injected - under low pressure - into the moulds. Our raw materials mostly come from waste streams such as bot-tle caps, agricultural film, crates and packing materials. These are used to produce a broad range of thick-walled synthetic pro-ducts that are applied in a.o. the steel and offshore industry, infra-structure and civil engineering.
Offshore crane ropes
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L A N K H O R S T R O P E S
Lankhorst Offers Integrated Synthetic and Steel Wires Ropes Supply
Leading ropes manufacturer, Lankhorst Ropes Offshore Division has expanded its range of high performance mooring and anchoring ropes to include steel wire ropes for the offshore market. The company is now able to offer both synthetic and steel wire ropes for mooring and anchor systems, as well as towing, crane lifting, riser tensioners and drilling applications.
Initially Lankhorst is supplying 6-strand, 8-strand and multi strand (non-rotating) steel wire ropes direct from WireCo WorldGroup factories in Germany, US, Mexico, Portugal, and Poland. As the world’s leading manufacturer of steel wire ropes, WireCo has control of the entire production process including wire drawing facilities, quality systems, certification and after sales support. In addition, the steel wire ropes end terminations can be customised to meet the engineering demands of specific offshore projects.
“As a world leading supplier of steel wire products, WireCo has the knowledge and experience needed to meet the rigorous technical performance and quality demands for offshore projects,” says Wilco Stroet, managing director, Lankhorst Ropes.
The Lankhorst steel wire ropes offshore initiative marks a significant expansion of Lankhorst’s offshore rope capabilities. Nico Jongkind, sales manager offshore steel wire ropes Lankhorst Ropes, has over 10 years experience of working with steel wire ropes. “We have supplied many different types of steel wire ropes for many years for maritime applications such as luffing, mooring, towing, anchoring and lifting. The opportunity to include steel wire ropes in combination with synthetic fibre ropes for the offshore market allows us to offer a customised and integrated offshore supply system,” he explained.
New Offshore Ropes – Doublefit and Superplast 10Of specific relevance to the offshore market are Casar’s Doublefit and Superplast 10 ropes. Doublefit is designed
for pull-in riser, and hoisting applications offshore. By far the strongest rotation resistant product on the market, the rope’s extremely round surface means is perfectly suited for multi layer spooling. Superplast 10 is a new rope development for use on overhead cranes and riser tensioner applications. Its high strength and excellent bending fatigue performance make the rope well suited to deployment over sheaves.
Maritime – One-Stop Shop Rope SupplyThe Maritime Division also enjoys a significant increase in the range of Lanko-branded, non-rotating, high performance steel wire ropes Lankhorst is able to offer customers directly. “We have always supplied both synthetic and steel wire ropes for mooring and towing,” noted Steven Wardenier, commercial director, Lankhorst Ropes. “However, until now,
our manufacturing and innovation have been largely focused on synthetic ropes, reflecting our heritage. Now we have direct access to a very large steel wire manufacturing resource and leading wire rope brands: high performance Casar ropes, Oliveira and general purpose ropes from Drumet.”
The immediate benefit to customers is Lankhorst’s ability to serve as a one-stop shop for all its maritime customers’ synthetic and steel wire requirements, and enhanced capability in crane ropes. In addition, Lankhorst Ropes global stock point network will feature increased stocks of wire ropes.
For more information contact Wilco Stroet, managing director, Lankhorst Ropes, at [email protected] or visit our website www.lankhorstropes.com.
Lanko®pack: can be used for al l cranes and high performance l ift ing applications where non-rotating and high MBL ropes are required
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Tipto® Winchline reduces mooring rope snap back threat Leading maritime industry publication ‘Seatrade’ has named Lankhorst Ropes as the winner of the ‘Innovation in Ship Ope-rations’ award at this year’s prestigious 25th Seatrade Awards held in London recently. The award was for Tipto Winchline, which reduces the threat to crew from mooring rope snap back. This is the second time Lankhorst has received the ‘In-novation Award’, and the first time a company has won it in consecutive years.
A snapped mooring rope is, thankfully, a rare occurrence, but when it does happen the results can be devastating. Using its expertise in yarn production and rope construction, Lankhorst Ropes has developed the Tipto Winchline to provide a safer mooring rope.
Based on Lankhorst’s Tipto yarn, the seven strand rope features a Tipto overbraided jacket to protect the rope from wear and tear during handling. Importantly, the jacket fulfils a vital safety function. If the rope breaks due to excessive load, the braided cover acts as
a net, capturing the two parted ends. The jacket absorbs the generated energy from the broken rope, and thus reduces the effects of snap back.
Second Seatrade Innovation awardIn 2012 it received the Seatrade ‘Innovation in Ship Operations Award’ for the A3 splice. With the trend towards fewer crew, the A3 splice is lighter, stronger and smaller than traditional splices, and marked a significant improvement in the ease of rope handling during mooring and towing.
“We are delighted to have won our second Seatrade ‘Innovation in Ship Operations’ award in consecutive years”, says Wilco Stroet, managing director, Lank-horst Ropes. “Lankhorst is com-mitted to innovation in every aspect of rope performance. The inherent safety of the Tipto Win-chline is proving to be very po-pular, especially amongst cruise line operators where it reduces the risk of snap back to crew and passengers alike.”
‘Seatrade’ Innovation Award for Lankhorst Ropes
Seatrade – international cruise and maritime publisherFounded in 1970, Seatrade is a well-established brand in the international cruise and mari-time community. Its publications, events, management training, award schemes and websites cover every aspect of cruise and maritime activity and are known and respected around the globe.
Lankhorst Ropes wins Seatrade’s ‘ Innovation in Ship Operations’ award. Left to r ight: Hassan Ali Almajed, General Director of General Organisation of Sea Ports; Steven Wardenier, Commercial Director, Lankhorst Ropes; and International Marit ime Organisation ( IMO) Secretary-General , Koji Sekimizu
LANKHORST EURONETE PORTUGAL
The new laboratory located in Maia is already a reality. It is cen-trally situated in the Maia buildings, with an easy access to the production units.
With this new infrastructure, we managed to strengthen our ability to carry out tests on raw materials as well as intermediate and end products, manufactured in the various production units. With a laboratory area of 82 m2, it was possible to install the vari-ous test equipments and create work desks for all operators.
We also have two new offices of respectively 26 m2 and 15 m2.
In this space we installed several equipments for breaking tests (3 testing machines), 2 tables for analysis and measurement of samples, different scales to de-termine the weight of samples, twist tester to determine turns per meter and twisting yarn, abrasion machines for testing the multifilament, monofilament or yarns, equipment to determine the melting point and Electron Microscopy. The space is air con-ditioned and has a laboratory extractor hood.Lankhorst Euronete now has a new space with technical and human resources to guarantee the quality standards as set by the company.
New Lab at Lankhorst Euronete Portugal
A global & dynamic innovation team together in Maia. With from left to r ight: Fernando, Rui Pedro, Nuno, Ben, Leandro, Jeroen, Greg, Cor, Femke and Rui Bastos
FROM THE EDITORS
Contact details: [email protected]
Mafalda Gramaxo (PT)Paula Oliveira (PT)Geeske Terpstra (NL)Ineke Heising (NL)
The next edition of Lankhorst Euronete News will be published in October 2013.
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EXHIBITIONS 2013
LANKHORST ROPES30 Sept. – 2 Oct. Seatrade Middle East Workboats, Abu Dhabi (UAE)9 – 12 October Workboat Show New Orleans (USA) 29 – 31 October OTC Brasil, Rio de Janeiro (BR)5 – 8 November Europort Rotterdam (NL)
LANKHORST ENGINEERED PRODUCTS25 – 25 September Kunststoffenbeurs, Veldhoven (NL)1 – 4 October Corte & Conformação de Metais, Sao Paulo (BR)29 – 31 October OTC Brasil, Rio de Janeiro (BR)5 – 8 November BlechExpo, Stuttgart (D)18 – 21 November Fabtech / Metalform, Chicago (USA)
LANKHORST EURONETE PORTUGAL13 – 16 August Aqua Nor, Trondheim (N) 9 – 11 October Danfish, Aalborg (DK)16 – 18 October Itechmer, Lorient (F)
LANKHORST EURONETE PORTUGAL
Innovation: Global and Dynamic
To kick-off the new R&D organization, a large part of this new team gathered in the brand new R&D facility at the Lankhorst Euronete premises in Maia late February. The theme of this meeting, the first-ever in its kind, was CONNECT!
The three specific objectives were Share, Learn and Think. Everyone was asked to prepare a presentation, to 1) share the capabilities and technologies of factories, laboratories and products he or she respectively works at, in and with and 2) explain what Innovation their projects will soon bring to our customers.
The meeting gave everybody the opportunity to learn how
one can both benefit from and provide support to their (new) team members and their respective knowledge and capabilities. Furthermore, various brainstorm sessions were held, in which the team (joined by people from Quality, Manufacturing
In an earlier edition of this newsletter it was very well stated; if we were to choose one out of the three characteristics that exemplify Lankhorst-Euronete best, ‘Dynamic’ would be the one. And that dynamic also best describes the way in which we do our research & development in synthetics, goes without saying; also here, our group has seen some significant changes in the recent past. The most prominent change, was the establishment of one globally organized Innovation team, which now includes all of those in WireCo WorldGroup involved in the research & development of synthetic ropes, netting and yarns. The team includes colleagues based in Portugal, USA, Brazil and the Netherlands.
and Marketing & Sales) discussed subjects of special interest related to new yarn development, improvement of rope characteristics and the use of new materials, like fibers and coatings.
And although February already seems so far ago, it remains dynamic in the Innovation group. Some weeks ago, a further alignment of the WireCo Global Engineering organization was announced of which the synthetics Innovation team will become a key and integral part. Also, several new initiatives are underway. One of those is to invest in new equipment with the aim to increase our capabilities in
dynamic testing of fiber ropes (underscoring our technology leadership there). Another initiative is related to the concept of Open Innovation, and is about getting more closely involved with some of the leading universities in Europe that are active in textiles and textile materials engineering. So a lot going on and always moving. It cannot hardly be more dynamic!
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