Greater Quality
Quality from Germany
Across the world the attribute “Made in Germany” stands for high quality, high-value products which meet the highest standards. It stands for high value content, low maintenance costs, product enjoyment and special engineering performance.
“Built by Flensburger” reveals even more. Because a ship “Built by Flensburger” is a custom-built ship. It solves your transport problems 100% and permits of no compromise. It is designed especially for you – in keeping with port configuration, routes and other influencing factors. Using the most modern tools available, our highly qualified employees build a ship whose low operational and maintenance costs bring you advantages with every new day.
However, “Built by Flensburger” also means the highest possible flexibility. Our advanced engineering competence and the ideal way in which our operations are structured makes it possible for you to suggest late changes even while the ship is under construction. “It can’t be done” is not part of our vocabulary because satisfying you is our top target.
You can check out “Made in Germany” at any time during the building phase. Along with your construction supervisor and in order to safeguard our own high quality requirements, we carry out about 1,000 inspection checks on each ship. You can monitor the production processes and the inspection checks carried out by our quality department at any time.
Your ship is in competent hands
We see our shipyard as one big family with every employee a member of it. This identification is so engrained that most of our personnel regard a job at the yard as a job for life. It’s not unusual for an entire family to work with us over several generations – providing an ideal mix of young and older, very experienced workers.
We employ only highly skilled personnel. In the trades sector for example that means about 140 welders, about 120 fitters and 80 shipbuilders.
About 100 engineers and designers are responsible for the planning of the ship. Almost every job is held by a specialist in his field to guarantee the top design and manufacturing competence of our yard. Further training in all areas is part of FSG’s philosophy and is actively encouraged and also required.
Horizontal hierarchical structures mean there are also no long, time-consuming decision-taking procedures or the waiting times so typical in many other companies.
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» FSG's young welders win state awards
A one-stop shop
Ship theory, ship drafting and design are all part of the hub competencies of the Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft. In the blueprint and design stage of the ship we lay the foundations for a high-value product. And because all the disciplines work together, hand in hand, at this point, you get an integrated, optimal ship blueprint.
High-grade networking of all the problems pre-supposes well-functioning communication among the engineers. This cannot be guaranteed if large parts of the design are farmed out to different engineering firms. That’s why FSG has consistently followed the path of complete in-house design. All engineering and design work, from the first general plan sketch right through to the workshop drawings, is done by us in-house and with our own personnel. This guarantees a consistently high standard and constant co-ordination not only in design but also in operations, planning, and of course in our dealings with you.
In addition the entire design process takes place using a data model which extends without any system break from the first 3D model to the detailed design. In all phases of the design process, the engineers can directly access this constant, three-dimensional data model. All the relevant drawings, from the general plan via the classification drawing to the assembly drawing are directly derived from this model.
From the earliest stage of planning and using the 3D models, we can discuss with you, graphically, all essential questions such as, for example, Accessibilities, work place ergonomics, etc..
The in-house design philosophy produces a consistent and well-balanced design process and consequently a high-value, quality product.
We build in all weathers!
On our site we maintain about 50,000 m2 of covered production area. From the moment steel and profiles are delivered directly to the production halls, through to the time the finished, fully-conserved hull is launched, our ships are in covered production facilities.
Building is, then, completely independent of the weather! Dry, weather-protected, well-lit work places are not only a factor in the high-motivation of our personnel: the working places in their own right, quite apart from personnel skills, provide exactly the right conditions for quality work. This means that in situations where delivery deadlines are critical, FSG can fall back on 24 hour, seven-days-a week production as a capacity reserve.
Closed production halls also mean that the extensive use of inert gas welding technology is possible, without the gas being blown away by the wind. Thus, 98% of all welds at FSG are oxy-acetylene, powder or inert gas welds. The quality of these methods is enhanced by the fact that the previously produced blank metal cutting edges or the blasted primer-free surfaces do not rust before welding. Along with material dryness, being rust free is one of the most important preconditions for high-quality welds.
Summing up, weather-independent building at FSG means workshop quality at all stages of building.
Quality is written large here
At present, the quality management system at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft is certified by Germanischer Lloyd Certification GmbH according to ISO 9001: 2008. FSG’s first certification was as early as 1998. The quality management system has been constantly expanded since then to keep pace with growing quality demands. In addition to the prescribed Quality Management Handbook (QMH) we have introduced a QM procedural hand book which lays down directions and procedural details for maintaining quality targets in individual sectors.
To underpin compliance with quality targets we have introduced check lists for all areas from distribution to ship delivery. The check lists are evaluated at regular intervals. To meet rising demands in ship coating, FSG is also seeking additional certification, by a classification society, of the procedures for ballast water tanks under IMO PSPC. We want to submit ourselves to regular checks by independent experts. The checks are important if ships are to hold their value and we want to be able to guarantee our customers optimal coating in critical sectors.
