MAN, Samsung Sign Marine Digitization Agreement

MAN Energy Solutions and Samsung Heavy Industries Co. Ltd. have signed a strategic cooperation agreement for the digitization of marine engines, adding theywant to define a framework for a long-term strategic cooperation to develop technologies and systems for the digitization of marine engines.

The announcement follows a similar agreement signed in July. At that time, MAN Energy Solutions, Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME) and HSD Engine (HSD) announced that they had signed a strategic agreement to cooperate in the field of marine engine systems digitization.

“Digital technologies and the business models based on these technologies will transform the maritime industry,” said Brian Østergaard Sørensen, head of R&D 2-Stroke Business at MAN Energy Solutions. “Samsung Heavy Industries is an important part of this industry and an important business partner for us. It makes sense to bring our experts together and explore how best to work in synch with our digital value creation chain. It is our firm belief that cross-industry cooperation is essential to the success of the digital transition, and we continue to take an active role in driving this with our partners.”

The scope of the cooperation will be focusing on the following areas:

• Digitization of marine engine solution data including auxiliary systems
• Data collection, diagnosis and visualization in relation to marine engine solution performance
• Design and technology development of an architecture system for marine engine digitization solutions including auxiliary systems
• Integration between marine engine solutions – smartship platforms and engine diagnostic solutions
• Testing and verification of research and development results.

“We are committed to providing smartship solutions that are useful to our customers,” said Yong Lae Shim, vice president of SHI Ship and Offshore Research Institute. “This agreement with MAN allows us to expand the ecosystem of the SHI’s smartship SVESSEL, to further provide practically useful services to ship owners.”

MAN said a key to the strategy is the new platform MAN CEON, which is designed to collect and evaluate operating and sensor data, and enable the real-time monitoring of marine or power-plant engines, turbines and compressors.

“MAN CEON is the new backbone of our developing digital-service business,” said Per Hansson, head of Digital and Strategy at MAN Energy Solutions. “Digitization is often reduced to a technical level, but is really about providing more valuable services to our customers. Thanks to MAN CEON, we can provide our customers onshore and on-board with even more timely and insightful support in their daily operations, and optimize the availability and efficiency of their installations.”

The platform integrates data and information from MAN machinery and its operational environment, and uses intelligent analysis tools for evaluation and forecasting. The operating data of all systems and ships connected via CEON can be transmitted to customer sites as well as MAN service centers in real-time. From here, MAN experts pro-actively support customers with problem solving and maintenance.