Held this year from April 13 to 15, our marine team participated in the Ferry Shipping Conference as a co-sponsor with WE Tech, where we displayed our new counter-flux rotor and gave a 10-minute presentation on permanent magnet (PM) shaft generator technology.
Perhaps the biggest and most important event of its kind in the industry, the conference brings together suppliers with up to 400 ferry-shipping executives. Between 40 and 50 ferry companies were present at the conference, with a busy program of seminars, debates and exhibitions held during the two days. There were also plenty of opportunities to network throughout.
This time the conference took place on Tallink Silja’s Silja Symphony, which sailed on a return cruise from Stockholm to Helsinki.
“Eye-catcher” of the event
Among the many exhibitions and discussions taking place onboard, one of the more interesting features was The Switch’s unique display of our new counter-flux rotor solution. The product was demonstrated as a holographic video that was presented within a transparent showcase. An innovation that ensures safe vessel operation in case of an unlikely short-circuit fault at sea, the counter-flux rotor works by de-energizing the shaft generator.
Described as an “eye-catcher” by Jari Riikonen, Marketing Manager for Marine Systems, the video certainly caught the attention of fellow passengers. “The display was well received and led to some good general discussion,” Jari summarizes. Mika Koli, Business Development Manager for The Switch, adds: “The 3D presentation aroused plenty of interest and was a good topic for discussion.”
Getting the message out
On the second day of the cruise, Mika also had the opportunity to give a 10-minute presentation on PM shaft generator technology and the next wave in green shipping. This topic ties in with our philosophy of developing energy-efficient technology for the marine industry. It also supports our mission of advancing the world with electrical drive trains.
Overall, the conference provided us with a great platform to help get our message across and meet suppliers, ship owners and delegates from engineering and classification companies.
In summary, the conference was a success and represented an event that was certainly worth visiting in the future. Mikko Lönnberg, Director of Product Management and Marketing, also had a positive impression, adding the event “was a great way for us to make the right contacts within the marine industry.”
