History and background
Emerson Process Management is one of five business platforms of the large American owned Emerson group. One division of Emerson Process Management is Marine Tank Management (MTM) with marine applications for tank management. The company’s core business is to provide solutions that help improve efficiency and safety of ship operations. Emerson Process Management established MTM to better focus on marine solutions, after the merger of several well-reputed companies in the industry, such as Rosemount Marine, Damcos and LevelDatic. MTM’s competences hereby cover several areas, such as systems integration, radar tank gauging, hydraulic and electro-hydraulic valve remote control and measurement by means of both electro-pneumatic and pressure technology.
Product and service portfolio
MTM’s offerings often comprise of adaptable combinations of products and services, whilst also providing products and services separately, if needed. An example of such a product/service combination is the integrated tank management systems, marketed by MTM. It is a complete solution for the monitoring and control of all tank-related functions on any type of ship. The system covers products and subsystems, such as valve remote control systems with compact actuator design, cargo monitoring systems with approved radar solutions and Ballast & Service tank level systems, providing accurate tank level indication, with either pressure sensors or electro-pneumatic technology.
Business presence and service stations
The Emerson concern is a globally diversified company, with approximately 127,700 employees and 250 manufacturing locations worldwide. The MTM division comprises around 640 employees, with manufacturing facilities in 10 countries. Approximately 70 % of MTM’s production is in China and only 5 % in Denmark. Product development is carried out in Denmark, Sweden, China and Singapore. MTM also offers one-stop-shop efficiency, with worldwide support and has an after-sales unit, which is made up of 120 employees, 16 of which are based in Denmark. Besides these after-sales staff, the company also has a broad network of service partners.
Business competitiveness
Besides operating in a fairly competitive market with players such as Hoppe Bordmesstechnik, Pleiger, and Kongsberg, MTM’s competitive edge resides in the so-called bottom-up approach. As an active manufacturer the company has the knowledge not just to produce but also to install and operate its products and systems, and furthermore to continuously develop retrofit solutions and new after-sales products.
Motivation to participate in PROTEUS
MTM already generates revenue from after-sales activities and can see the potential in pursuing PSS as a strategy to gain more income from after-sales. The company is particularly interested in gaining insights into the shipowners’ needs and in ways to translate these needs into service offerings. The company is also motivated by the drive to become preferred supplier to shipyards, and sees an expansion of after-sales offerings as an important way to achieve this. It is currently in the process of establishing a service network in collaboration with global service partners; for this reason MTM is interested in further improvements of the company’s product- and service development process, in order to embrace a global service network and a strong service business.