Wilhelmsen and technology group thyssenkrupp today announced its collaboration to jointly develop Additive Manufacturing (AM) enabled commercial solutions for the maritime industry.

Under the Memorandum of Agreement signed by both companies, Wilhelmsen’s Marine Products division and thyssenkrupp will collaborate on providing 3D-printed components for maritime vessels, leveraging on thyssenkrupp’s deep expertise in AM alongside Wilhelmsen’s in-depth maritime expertise and direct ongoing experience of developing 3D printing as a service for vessels.

The collaboration will also leverage on the capabilities of the recently inaugurated thyssenkrupp Tech Center in Singapore and its Global Additive Manufacturing Tech Center in Mulheim, which has been awarded the Approval of Manufacturer certificate by leading quality assurance and risk management firm DNV GL. The high-level certification, which allows thyssenkrupp to supply metal 3D products for application in maritime and other industrial sectors, further cements the company’s distinctive capabilities to design and fabricate metal parts and components utilizing additive manufacturing.

“Wilhelmsen is built on innovation, and our partnership with thyssenkrupp once again shows how we are leveraging technology to further elevate the maritime industry,” shared Kjell André Engen, Executive Vice President, Marine Products, Wilhelmsen. “AM offers a lot of advantages, and we can clearly demonstrate to our customers how they will benefit from on-demand manufacturing of spare parts.”

“We are extremely excited with this new milestone for us in the arena of Additive Manufacturing,” said Jan Lueder, CEO of thyssenkrupp Asia Pacific. “After securing the world’s first certified facility for marine 3D printing, we are now partnering with one of the biggest shipping companies in the world to deliver our AM expertise to our marine customers across the globe.”

Joining the collaboration is startup company Ivaldi Group, a technology partner partly owned by Wilhelmsen that utilizes its platform to market and offer 3D products for the maritime industry. This partnership of two globally renowned enterprises – Wilhelmsen and thyssenkrupp – and fast-rising startup Ivaldi bodes well for the burgeoning Additive Manufacturing ecosystem.

“We are privileged to be part of this exciting collaboration paving the way for AM in the maritime industry,” said Espen Sivertsen, CEO of Ivaldi Group. “Combining our capabilities will surely positive impact the sector as well as all our customers and partners around the world.”

The coming together of the three formidable companies bodes well for the future of AM in various sectors both in Singapore as well as across the region.

“Formalizing this partnership here in Singapore is only natural given size of maritime industry here and the vibrant innovation ecosystem which Singapore offers,” noted Lueder. “We look forward to introducing our deep engineering expertise and solutions to customers here in Asia Pacific and potentially the rest of the world to the wonders of AM for marine industry.”