From the editor

It’s been awhile since you have heard from us and the main reason for this period of indulgence has been the fact that our newsletter coordinator Marissa Pos was recovering from a household accident. She’s back full time now and we men obviously need the push from a woman to get us going, so here goes:

Supposedly business is slower, but not so that IHC Systems feels a cold draught. True, new-building is on the decline, fewer yards are involved in developing new dredge equipment and Singapore has not started back up. On the other hand East-Asia, including China, and the Middle East region are very active in the area of new construction projects. This generates perspective and the need for actual modification and upgrading of process applications. The focus of our business is slowly shifting from fewer instrumentation type projects to more process-control oriented projects.

Big politics is exerting an increasing influence on the dredge and shipbuilding industry. Their regulatory boards control the flows of subsidies or the denial of support to individual shipbuilders in the creation of a level playing field. This hard currency is in the end often decisive in securing the work or making the job profitable, so its opportunity becomes a critical success factor in the running of the business. This makes one sad, as it is outside the control of the technicians and designers and maybe even of the management. Still, doing business is in a lot of cases not about content, but about creating the circumstances in which content can flow between seller and buyer.

IHC Systems will be concentrating on standardisation and simplification of our product range and services. The tendency in the technical arena in the last ten years of adding complexity to functionality, thanks to the ever increasing platform capabilities, has to be steered to transparency of functions and simplification of operation. In some cases this will require a grass root approach, freshly rethinking the demands of what is needed and who is going to use it. Instrumentation and measurement & control can have a worked complexity, but should be attuned to the operator and his needs and capabilities in a working environment. The comparison to a Bach fuge in its deceptive transparency and lucidity is maybe taking it a bit too far, but it shows the roadmap for the future.

In these times when everybody is holding back investment-wise, more for less is the name of the game. The buzz word on the street is low cost. At IHC Systems we try to help our clients to achieve more with an efficient approach to dredging. Our dredging clients create continuity for their stakeholders and make money for their shareholders by being busy dredging (hopefully with IHC Systems products). In that respect having the right tools and equipment is essential to be successful in procuring new projects and being able to perform. IHC Systems goal is to help our clients in just this way, realising that providing dedicated attention to development and after-sales service are just as important for the success of our customers as the right price. We hope that where we fail to achieve that standard –and we know we sometimes do, no matter how big our commitment is- you will tell us, because that will help us to learn and hopefully do better next time.

Being on the edge of my summer holiday, I wish everybody a very pleasant summer time off, to be spent with family and friends and enjoy the fruits of a year’s hard labor. Drive carefully and speak to you in the new season! Efficient Dredging is a publication of IHC Systems BV the Netherlands for all those involved in making dredging operations more efficient and accurate.

Bram Roelse


About us Company profile News Jobs Efficient Dredging Service & Guarantee Spare Parts History Disclaimer Hopper dredgers Cutter dredgers Excavators Hydrographics Contact Search	From the editor Back to efficient dredging news It’s been awhile since you have heard from us and the main reason for this period of indulgence has been the fact that our newsletter coordinator Marissa Pos was recovering from a household accident. She’s back full time now and we men obviously need the push from a woman to get us going, so here goes: Supposedly business is slower, but not so that IHC Systems feels a cold draught. True, new-building is on the decline, fewer yards are involved in developing new dredge equipment and Singapore has not started back up. On the other hand East-Asia, including China, and the Middle East region are very active in the area of new construction projects. This generates perspective and the need for actual modification and upgrading of process applications. The focus of our business is slowly shifting from fewer instrumentation type projects to more process-control oriented projects. Big politics is exerting an increasing influence on the dredge and shipbuilding industry. Their regulatory boards control the flows of subsidies or the denial of support to individual shipbuilders in the creation of a level playing field. This hard currency is in the end often decisive in securing the work or making the job profitable, so its opportunity becomes a critical success factor in the running of the business. This makes one sad, as it is outside the control of the technicians and designers and maybe even of the management. Still, doing business is in a lot of cases not about content, but about creating the circumstances in which content can flow between seller and buyer. IHC Systems will be concentrating on standardisation and simplification of our product range and services. The tendency in the technical arena in the last ten years of adding complexity to functionality, thanks to the ever increasing platform capabilities, has to be steered to transparency of functions and simplification of operation. In some cases this will require a grass root approach, freshly rethinking the demands of what is needed and who is going to use it. Instrumentation and measurement & control can have a worked complexity, but should be attuned to the operator and his needs and capabilities in a working environment. The comparison to a Bach fuge in its deceptive transparency and lucidity is maybe taking it a bit too far, but it shows the roadmap for the future. In these times when everybody is holding back investment-wise, more for less is the name of the game. The buzz word on the street is low cost. At IHC Systems we try to help our clients to achieve more with an efficient approach to dredging. Our dredging clients create continuity for their stakeholders and make money for their shareholders by being busy dredging (hopefully with IHC Systems products). In that respect having the right tools and equipment is essential to be successful in procuring new projects and being able to perform. IHC Systems goal is to help our clients in just this way, realising that providing dedicated attention to development and after-sales service are just as important for the success of our customers as the right price. We hope that where we fail to achieve that standard –and we know we sometimes do, no matter how big our commitment is- you will tell us, because that will help us to learn and hopefully do better next time. Being on the edge of my summer holiday, I wish everybody a very pleasant summer time off, to be spent with family and friends and enjoy the fruits of a year’s hard labor. Drive carefully and speak to you in the new season! Efficient Dredging is a publication of IHC Systems BV the Netherlands for all those involved in making dredging operations more efficient and accurate. Bram Roelse
© 2008 IHC Systems B.V.