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46 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News ? MAY 2013 PROPULSIONRon Huibers has been on the job as president of Volvo Penta Re- gion America for just more than six months, but upon entering the posi-tion in the autumn of 2013, the goal for the engine industry veteran was clear: ?We have the mandate to grow the busi- ness substantially; we want to double the business in the next few years.?A strong brand in the leisure marine segment, Volvo Penta is now making the moves it believes will help it fortify and extend as a player in the commercial ma-rine engine sector, and Huibers believes that he has the people, the corporate in-frastructure and most importantly the products to hit the aggressive sales tar- gets. Volvo Penta is a part of the Swedish Volvo Group, a leading power supplier for the truck, bus, construction machine, industrial and marine sectors to over 180 countries around the world. Huibers, who previously served as the head of the truck division, hopes to leverage Volvo?s technology in those markets to address the needs of the commercial marine mar- ket. Streamlined Operations Effective January 1, 2013, the com- pany underwent a major restructuring in this hemisphere, folding its Latin Ameri-can operations into its North American business unit, creating a single uniÞ ed organization, for which Huibers now has responsibility for all of Volvo Pen- ta?s commercial marine, leisure marine and industrial engine business from the North Slope of Alaska to the tip of Cape Horn, including the Caribbean, from his headquarters in Chesapeake, Va. ?If you look at the numbers, our busi-ness has been up 5% (Volvo Penta Amer- ica),? Huibers said. ?While it is still well down from historical numbers, I think we are starting to see some Þ rming up and cause for optimism.?The streamlining of North American operations is designed to provide better and faster service to customers in Latin America from the U.S., whereas previ-ously the Latin American countries fell under the international group based in Sweden. ?We are creating a single busi- ness unit with commonality in practices, procedures, sales, service and support,? he said. ?We have already made impor- tant appointments for OEM and after- market business in our Latin American operation center in Curitiba, Brazil. We will make additional changes to strength-en our operation, distribution channels and technical support this year.? The Product Volvo Penta offers marine diesel en- gines ranging from 120 to 900 hp, suit-able for tugs, commercial Þ shing craft, pilot boats, offshore supply vessels, in- land and coastal ships, as well as a range of auxiliary engines and gensets for commercial applications. Last autumn the company announced that it had supplied the main propulsion system for the new 60-ft tug Ted Kayser, which was recently delivered to Kathryn Rae Towing of Hahnville, La. The instal- lation was overseen by Allemand Indus- tries, the Volvo Penta Power Center in Harvey, La. The vessel?s two Volvo Pen- ta D16 engines each provide continuous 650 hp at 1,800 rpm. The engines drive a pair of Rolls Royce four-bladed stain- less steel propellers through Twin Disc MGX5222 5.04:1 marine gears. David LeBlanc, product manager at Allemand, said, ?The D16 engines are ideally suit-ed for tugboats because their low-end Volvo Penta Targets Marine for Growth (Photo: Greg Trauthwein) AboveRon Huiber, President of Volvo Penta Region America, said ?We have the man- date to grow the business substantially; we want to double the business in the next few years.?LeftVolvo Penta powers six new custom 13.9 m (46-ft.) power catamarans, which were built last year for use as course markers and VIP viewing platforms for the America?s Cup racing events. MR #5 (42-49).indd 46MR #5 (42-49).indd 465/3/2013 2:10:45 PM5/3/2013 2:10:45 PM
