Global maritime industry group Wilhelmsen has delivered a number of 3D printed parts to dry bulk shipping company Berge Bulk. Slated as a “landmark commercial delivery” by Wilhelmsen, the components included a set of 3D printed scupper plugs, delivered as part of the company’s Early Adopter Program (EAP) with additive manufacturing service bureau Ivaldi Group.
The EAP, launched in late 2019, is an initiative where Wilhelmsen and Ivaldi Group supply 3D printed spare parts on-demand to ships and other vessels. It is currently exclusively open to six customers: Berge Bulk, Carnival Maritime, Thome Ship Management, OSM Maritime Group, Executive Ship Management and Wilhelmsen Ship Management.
Ivaldi Group, headquartered in San Leandro California, was co-founded in 2016 by Norselab, a Norwegian accelerator. A specialist spare parts supplier for maritime, it has production and shipping facilities strategically located around the globe in Norway, Mexico, and Singapore. The company recently attained internationally renowned ISO 9001:2015 quality certification for its manufacturing capabilities.
Wilhelmsen, headquartered in Norway, is one of the world’s largest shipping companies. It employs more than 21,000 people around the world, with operations in 75 nations. Its partnership with Ivaldi Group has been overseen by the company’s Marine Products division, which began in 2018. Ivaldi Group agreed to provide Wilhelmsen with on-demand spare part production for ships and other maritime equipment from a new additive manufacturing facility in Singapore.
This partnership between Wilhelmsen and Ivaldi Group was then expanded in late 2019 with the launch of the EAP in Singapore. Advantages promoted by the program include the elimination of physical inventory, streamlining complex distribution, and a reduction of associated costs.
It was launched with the support of the local Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), DNV GL and The Norwegian Ambassador to Singapore, Anita Nergaard. Steen Lund, CCO and Group CDO of Executive Ship Management, an EAP member, described the program as a “natural extension of the joint industry program” run by the MPA, Singapore’s National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Cluster (NAMIC) and the Singapore Ship Association (SSA), indicative of the nation’s growing expertise in 3D printing for maritime.
