Turnkey ship repair solutions provider DCD Marine Cape Town has enhanced its engineering capacity through a strategic partnership with engineering firm 6Sigma Naval Architects and OffShore Engineering.

6Sigma, established in 2012, provides specialist engineering services for shipbuilding and repair yards.

DCD Marine Cape Town business development manager Deon Truter says bringing 6Sigma into DCD Marine as in-house engineers has resulted in significantly improved process efficiency that includes improved communications, leading to a reduction in timelines, costs and client risk.

Maritime clients will also enjoy the enhanced service of having access to a dedicated engineer-ing office and 24/7 full engineering support with-out being subject to any contractor-subcontractor limitations.

“While 6Sigma is enjoying a growing portfolio, DCD Marine Cape Town is able to leverage off the company’s scarce skills set and also has more influence in the design process,” adds 6Sigma director Jako Laubscher.

The company offers design services for steel and aluminium boats, ships and offshore struc-tures, as well as finite element analysis (FEA), stability analysis, propulsion estimations, vessel modification – all elements of overall design, including concept and basic and detail design.

“6Sigma focuses on identifying and eliminating potential engineering errors, being closer to the ‘shop floor’ and, therefore, offers a better engineering solution and service,” he points out.

The company has been subcontracted by DCD Marine Cape Town over the past few years on various projects, and provided services in FEA analysis, offshore containers, vessel modifications, systems engineering, updating class drawings, design, fabrication, project management, surveying and class approval.

Laubscher emphasises that a key focus is now on further research and development to enable 6Sigma to provide up-to-date in-house knowledge in terms of regulatory changes and the most cost-effective engineering solutions.

He underscores the scarcity of naval and off- shore engineering skills in South Africa, partic-ularly those that include experience relevant to the oil and gas industry.

“While meeting this gap in the market, 6Sigma also leverages the knowledge and experience of its software partners to ensure that it remains competitive internationally,” he adds.

“This industry is one of the most regulated and complex in the world and there are no shortcuts. It requires a high-level skills set and a dedication to the delivery of top-quality work,” Truter says.

He therefore highlights that the collaboration will strengthen DCD Marine’s position as a world-class service provider in the oil, gas and ship-repair sector.

DCD Marine Cape Town, which specialises in engineering solutions for the upstream oil and gas sector, as well as ship repair projects, is based in the ports of Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth and can service the deep-water Port of Ngqura and Saldanha Bay harbour.