Workshop gets a lift

ESVAGT’s workshop is being optimised to improve operations, logistics, the environment and working environment – and to prime it for continued growth.

Not many mechanics have a 180 degree sea view from their workshop.

They do at ESVAGT. The new workshop on Nordre Dokkaj 7 is nearing completion and apart from offering a fantastic view, the large new workshop has a wealth of plusses.

“We are going from 500 square metres to 1,400 square metres; from several locations around the town to one combined location. It is an upgrade on all fronts and we are really looking forward to taking it into service,” says Søren Westphal, Service Manager at ESVAGT.

The workshop offers all the facilities imaginable for servicing boats and survival suits, which are its primary functions. For example, there is a separate room for gluing and for welding, sound proofed rooms for testing engines in water, suit rooms with special ventilation and a ten ton crane can be accessed throughout the entire workshop. The workshop now also facilitates the servicing of not just ESVAGT FRB and ESVAGT STB boats but also the large daughter crafts. ESVAGTs water mist fire fighting system will also be installed in the boat preparation room so that it can be demonstrated to customers.

“We have created work processes that are optimised for all the tasks that we perform. We have room to work on several boats at once and room to store a large number of spare parts. That means that we can optimise our work processes and offer even better service to our vessels and our seamen,” says Søren Westphal.

Logistics are a plus

By bringing all our activities to one address, as ESVAGT is now doing, the workshop will work better with the other parts of the shipping company.

“We previously spent a great deal of time on internal transportation, which we will no longer do – transportation when holding meetings at the office and when the office needed to look at something in the warehouse. It is now easier for everyone and that will give us good synergy,” says Søren Westphal:

“Having the same address and building with the same style will also bring us closer together. The workshop, logistics and offices have been given the same visual identity and right in the middle, there will be a crew centre. All our vessels are also right outside. The closeness and fellowship that will be between sea, workshop, logistics and office in our everyday lives will be a significant bonus. We will all feel – even more than we do now - that we are part of the same company,” says Søren Westphal.

There is also much to be gained in logistics now that there we have a suits workshop with its own laundry. The suits can now be serviced faster and easier.

Environment and working environment in focus

There are many environmental initiatives that will make a difference. The large gate at the gable end will function as an air lock so that the heat in the workshop is not let out. The ventilation works on a return system that ensures optimal use of heat and the building lives up to all the regulations for isolation in new buildings. LED lighting has been used everywhere and sensors ensure that they are not lit unnecessarily. All this will be topped off with solar panels on the roof to generate sustainable power.

The working environment will also be optimised. Sound proofing has been installed in the large halls in the workshop and the ventilation has been balanced for comfort throughout. Before being released, air flows past the boat preparation room where the boats are washed and readied. This ensures that the boats are quickly dried and warmed, optimising the working environment and safety as boats will not be cold and wet to work on.

Ergonomics have been taken into consideration everywhere. All desks can be height adjusted to ensure the optimal working position when working with motors. Air extraction has been optimised and, for example, extraction has been built into the tables used for gluing suits:

“There are no standards for workshops that work with boats so we have chosen to follow the standard for car workshops as we work with chassis and motors. The standard for car workshops is high and has strict requirements for the working environment – as do we,” says Søren Westphal:

”It also means a great deal to have daylight and a fantastic view. It reminds us why we are here – we can see right out to the sea where ESVAGT operates,” he says.