Developing intelligent dredger solutions

ROHR-IDRECO DREDGE SYSTEMS I PROFILE

The merger of European dredge manufacturers Rohr of Germany and IDRECO of the Netherlands has fuelled new impetus and global expansion for ROHR-IDRECO Dredge Systems. With the recent opening of an office in the US, and new orders flowing in, CEO Fulco Vrooland Löb reflected on a whirlwind two years and detailed what lies ahead for the business. By Andy Probert.

Bringing together two former rivals in the dredging sector, ROHR-IDRECO Dredge Systems represents a united brand. Within their workforce is pooling of several decades of experience and know-how to bring the best out of the merged company.

The architect of the 2017 merger and everything that has followed since is CEO Fulco Vrooland Löb. His defining vision for the new company is clear: develop high-end 100% electric-driven zero-emission dredging systems customised to clients’ needs.

“Now as one brand, one team, a fully integrated ROHR-IDRECO has one focus: selling a comprehensive portfolio, regardless of location selling crossover,” he asserted.

The company’s product line comprises jet-suction, cutter-suction, clamshell, bucket ladder and bucket wheel dredges. Under the new company, dredgers are manufactured at the German plant, and pumps are assembled in the Netherlands. Dredgers are optimised for mining, de-siltation, and commercial and offshore contract dredging.

Employing in excess of 80 people, the group retains offices in the Netherlands, Germany and France.

US expansion and innovation

In 2020, ROHR-IDRECO opened a new office and shop in Houston, USA, where machines are built for local clients, and services and parts are offered to about 80 dredging machines still in operation in the region. The Houston office is also pushing to land new opportunities in the Canadian and Latin American market.

While the current focus for many industries has been about zero emissions and going electric – the company has been

Fulco Vrooland Löb, CEO

achieving both for more than 50 years thanks to when former entities adopted electric-driven propulsion back in the 1960s.

Building on those foundations, ROHR-IDRECO has developed a series of modern-day solutions at the heart of all operational vessels. For instance, its iDredge solution drives the machines and comes in three phases: Eyes Underwater, Making Waves and iDredge For You – and all available to every vessel.

The iPump concept is the most efficient pump available for ROHR-IDRECO’s suction machines. Complete with the proprietary BoronX metallurgy for longer wear life, iPump ranges between 200mm to 1,100mm and is ideal for suction dredges, boosters, hopper dredges and other slurry applications.

Eyes Underwater is a sonar/DGPS system providing efficient material recovery. The visualisation and mapping tool can integrate with existing or active surveys, and multiple machines can be linked and displayed on a single map.

Making Waves offers automated production control, monitoring various measurements and machine conditions to control suction location, pump speed, bucket ladder speed, or clamshell cycles to maximise consistent performance.

ROHR-IDRECO DREDGE SYSTEMS I PROFILE

Finally, iDredge For You focuses on support, service, and maintenance packages, including remote monitoring of the dredge by ROHR-IDRECO to assist with remote service and support, maintenance planning, and process optimisation.

New product lines

Mr Vrooland said ROHR-IDRECO has also launched a new iBoat, enabling the operation to be completely electric.

Developed in cooperation with Groeneveldt Marine Construction, the iBoat support boat is designed to pair electric dredges and provide an environmentally friendly, zero-emission solution for sensitive areas. iBoat can plug into the dredge or onshore, has a 200kW battery pack, and can be equipped with a deck crane and operator cabin.

“With all these applications available, we can offer the most intelligent vessel on the market today,” he added. “We’re also planning on branching out into new industries other than dredging and mining with our pump systems.”

In late 2021, ROHR-IDRECO unveiled two new cutter suction dredge (CSD) models, the Hawk and the Falcon, to its product line-up.

With a 500 mm pump, the Hawk CSD model can dredge up to 14m, while the Falcon CSD can be used for dredging up to 20m with a 650 mm pump. These dredges are electrically driven, including the pump, cutter head and winches, with an add-on diesel generator power unit installed for when there is no access possible to the electrical grid.

On the order front, the company has delivered seven bucket ladder dredgers in a row, and produced a large cutter wheel dredger to gold mining company Mineros of Colombia.

The company has also closed a contract for a 12 cbm clamshell dredger for a repeat customer for the de-silting of a hydro dam in Austria, which is believed to be the largest dredger built to date for this type of application.

Smarter dredgers

Mr Vrooland said: “We are growing as a company, both in turnover and in employees, but this is not our aim in itself. We want to remain agile and flexible, offering high-end zero-emission dredging systems tailored to clients’ needs.

“The US market is a growth market for us, especially as the newly introduced Infrastructure Bill will likely lead to many opportunities for our clients.”

While ROHR-IDRECO is emerging from the pandemic era virtually unscathed due to orders and investments not being

cancelled, it did highlight several challenges that still hamper the market.

These include North-West European governments being slow to issue new mining permits to their clients. Scouring the market for qualified personnel in the electrical field continues, and embracing the volatility and shortages in the raw materials.

Mr Vrooland said: “We will continue to focus on high-end products, very often with a significant component of customisation. We have a large team of engineers compared to other companies who stay with relatively standardised equipment.

“In maintaining good relations with our suppliers and clients, I believe in the old fashioned approach of giving a little, taking a little. We are not shopping around.”

Concluding, he added: “A lot is going on in the electrification of the dredging industry. We have been doing that for decades thanks to our roots in the mining industry and, thus, want to continue taking the lead in this development.

“Our dredgers are built to last, but we want to evolve R&D further to ensure we continue to offer the best in intelligent dredgers.” n