REVISED DATE Executive Lunch: Alan Johnston - CEO Designate of BVT - visit now rescheduled to Wednesday 2nd April

This is a member only event.

Alan Johnston, CEO designate of BVT Surface Fleet - the proposed joint venture between BAE Systems and Vosper Thorneycroft - is to speak at the Marine Design Centre on the revised date of Wednesday 2nd April.  BVT Surface Fleet is set to be the biggest shipbuilder in the UK and will have a key role to play in the detail design and construction of the CVF.

Alan will outline BVT’s plans for the future and how best the Marine Design Centre and its individual members can engage with it.

Demand for places will be high and we would advise members to contact us on 0191 255 1710 or email info@marinedesigncentre.com.  For details on membership visit www.marinedesigncentre.com or contact us by phone or email.

Executive Lunch: Archie Bethel, Managing Director, Babcock Marine Services.

This is a member only event and we are looking to confirm the date and time very soon. Archie Bethel will brief members on Babcock Marine’s present structure and its procurement and purchasing strategies. The Babcock Group provides a complete range of design, build and support solutions across both defence and commercial sectors.

Babcock has a long and distinguished record in the defence sector. Major refits have included those on the aircraft carriers HMS Ark Royal, HMS Invincible and HMS Illustrious, along with numerous destroyers, frigates and minor warships. The National Audit Office's review of best practice in Defence Acquisition identified the HMS Illustrious refit as an example of ‘Gold Standard’ practice. It intends to build on this pedigree by playing a key role in the Aircraft Carrier Alliance that will build and assemble the two new CVF future aircraft carriers.

Following the recent acquisition of DML, Babcock has added significantly to its capabilities in the commercial arena. The company undertakes high-tech engineered composite work and builds, converts and refits large yachts and specialist craft.

David Hewitt, director of the Marine Design Centre, said: “Babcock’s marine business has established an outstanding reputation with the MoD Defence Equipment and Support organisation for delivering major refits on time, within budget and to the highest quality. It adopts a modern partnering philosophy in working with customers and end-users to guarantee a best value-for-money solution, delivered by a highly skilled and experienced workforce. This meeting will give members a real insight into the activities and opportunities with one of the country’s leading marine companies.”

Demand for places will be high and we would advise members to contact us on 0191 255 1710 or email info@marinedesigncentre.com.  For details on membership visit www.marinedesigncentre.com or contact us by phone or email.

ANSYS….first the workshop, now the training course (March 17 – 19)

Over 20 companies attended the Marine Design Centre for a workshop in February hosted by ANSYS, the leading provider of CAE tools and technologies. So successful was the event that a follow-up training course is to take place between March 17th – 19th (See details below). 

 

 

Seb Dimmock, projects engineer at CD Group, said: “The software was very impressive, I gained a thorough understanding as to its full capabilities and how it can be applied in real applications.”

The workshop demonstrated how to integrate accurate and realistic simulations of components, systems and subsystems, providing an engineering simulation system for fast, efficient and cost-conscious information-based product development.

Philip Hart, account manager for ANSYS, said: “The facilities at the Marine Design Centre are first class and we were very impressed by the calibre of delegate. As the result of a number of requests following the workshop, we have agreed with the Marine Design Centre to deliver a three-day training course.”

The course is highly recommended for anyone who performs finite element analysis (FEA) of mechanical parts or fluids and has little or no ANSYS experience. It is a three-day course that focuses on basic linear, static analyses in any discipline. After completing the course, attendees should be able to operate efficiently within the ANSYS Graphical user interface (GUI), build two- and three-dimensional models, apply loads and obtain solutions as well as effectively verify the results of an analysis and display results.

The fee for this course will be £950 per delegate for member companies and £1200 per delegate for non-member companies.

For further details and a list of course topics contact us on 0191 255 1710, email info@marinedesigncentre.com or visit www.marinedesigncentre.com

New Global Partner: ALCOA Defense

One of the world’s leading players in the defence sector has joined the Marine Design Centre as a Global Partner. 

It is a major coup for the Marine Design Centre that it can attract a company that boasts 107,000 employees in 44 countries.

Alcoa produces and manages primary aluminum, fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities for the aerospace, automotive, packaging, building and construction sectors. It also supplies the worldwide defence market, where its products are used in the design and manufacture of a range of vehicles and vessels.

David Hewitt, director of the Marine Design Sector, said: “Alcoa Defense is looking to strengthen its operations in Europe and is very keen to network and collaborate with industry bodies. 

David Hewitt, Marine Design Centre

“It views the Marine Design Centre as being the hub for the marine design sector in the UK and that it also provides a link to the wider supply chain operating across the UK defence sector. We look forward to working with Alcoa and to their becoming an active participant in the Marine Design Centre.”

 

BERR Utilise conference facilities……and so could you!

The Marine Design Centre was very pleased to host a recent meeting of a regional committee representing the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. Our facility here at Central Square South with its panoramic views across the city, is an ideal location for members and non-members to hire for meetings and seminars. We are also in a position to offer excellent in-house catering. For further information contact 0191 255 1710 and ask for our literature on conference and meeting room facilities. info@marinedesigncentre.com

AVEVA praise Common User Facility

AVEVA, the leading software solutions supplier to the process, power and marine industries, has endorsed the Common User Facility (CUF) as the perfect environment for off-site training.

Roy Metcalfe (Marine Business Development) from AVEVA, said: “We used the CUF for an intensive two-week training programme for staff and were delighted with the whole experience. Its central location in the city makes it easy to get to and the facilities themselves are first class, making it very easy to settle in and work well. To top it all, the views of the Tyne are spectacular – we would recommend the centre without reservation.”

Workstations in the CUF are available for hire on a short or long-term basis enabling design companies to expand to meet specific project needs without permanently increasing their overhead.

 

The CUF is ideal:

• as a neutral location for collaboration on major projects
• as a facility that designers can utilise if they experience a surge in demand 
• as a training facility to develop new skills or simply for refresher courses

The 40-seat state-of-the-art facility is a key asset of the Marine Design Centre. It comprises secure office space in an IT-rich environment with substantial communications facilities.

If you would like to enquire about booking space in the CUF or using our meeting facilities, please contact us on 0191 2551710 or info@marinedesigncentre.com

New Partner: RCID

The Marine Design Centre is pleased to announce that Newcastle-based RCID, which provides advice and assistance on engineering and software design issues, has taken up membership.

 

Its main areas of work are design, analysis, visualisation, software, embedded systems and IT.

Ron Jamieson, chief executive of RCID, said: “We specialise in providing solutions to the challenges of new product development. Our team of 14 staff is fully engaged in working with industry and the marine design sector is one sector where we see prospects for great growth. We develop products, processes and software to realistic timescales and we undertake full design, build and testing of prototypes to customer specifications or relevant standards. We also provide managed access to University expertise in science and engineering.”

For further information on RCID visit www.rcid.ncl.ac.uk

Careers Fair

Earlier this month The Marine Design Centre was pleased to support Newcastle University Careers Fair on behalf of its members. The University is internationally reknowned for its expertise in marine engineering and naval architecture.

John Lockey, Business Development Manager for the Marine Design Centre said;
“This was a lively and interactive careers fair which was well organised and supported by participating companies. We were pleased to receive the invitation to attend from Dr. Peter Wright senior lecturer in Navel Architecture as it was an opportunity to foster links between the marine design sector, the university and students.

“The students who came to our stand were enthusiastic, have achieved excellent results at the University and are keen to move onto the next stage of their careers.

 For this reason we will be sending CVs that we have received from the students to our member companies. Also, if you are able to offer placements we would appreciate companies letting us know by emailing john.lockey@marinedesigncentre.com