Damen Shipyards Group has won the 2017 Dutch Logistics Award. This prestigious prize was presented by the Netherlands Association of Logistics Management (vLm) in recognition of Damen’s high standards of logistical management and efficiency.

Damen representatives received the award during an award ceremony and gala dinner hosted by vLm.

In following its 10-step criteria for nominees, in which parameters such as innovation, customer focus, implementation and cost effectiveness are assessed, vLm’s jury first approached Damen regarding its operations for two separate projects.

“These involved the production of four Platform Supply Vessels (PSV), for which we used an innovative modular solution, as well as the multiple vessel shipments that we execute regularly from our Asian yards,” explained Jason Bronscheer, Damen’s director operations support.

For the multiple vessel shipments from its yards in China and Vietnam, Damen charters a single heavy-lift vessel to transport several vessels at once. “We have transported up to 22 vessels in one go with this strategy – it is highly efficient,” he continued. “These vessels are secured in place by ship cradles, and to make the process even more efficient, we have developed reusable ship cradles. Once the vessels are unloaded, the cradles can be disassembled and returned to the construction yard in containers, ready for the next shipment.”

After Damen’s initial presentations to the jury, however, numerous additional aspects of the company’s working methods came to light. “Employee engagement is also part of the jury’s criteria, and this is a matter that we take very seriously. For example, every two years we commission an independent survey that receives feedback from all of our 9,000 personnel across 33 shipyards around the world,” he added.