Damen Marine Components acquires WK Hydraulics

On 1st of April 2019, Damen Marine Components (DMC) acquired the assets of WK Hydraulics, a specialist maritime hydraulics systems manufacturer located in Barendrecht, the Netherlands. DMC and WK Hydraulics already overlap in areas such as steering gear and hydraulic power units, however WK Hydraulics also brings particular experience in the building of larger, customised hydraulic systems for winches, cranes, bow thrusters and other applications.

The WK Hydraulics product portfolio additionally includes towing pins, wire and chain stoppers, and equipment to flush large hydraulic systems, which will be new to DMC’s current product range. However, these will fit in well alongside its core rudder, steering gear, winch and nozzle systems.

DMC and WK Hydraulics have worked together on projects in the past, and in today’s highly competitive market the management of WK Hydraulics recognised the benefits of taking that relationship a stage further by becoming part of a larger entity. Its goal was to broaden its business model from being purely focused on hydraulic systems to becoming a supplier of drive systems in all their different forms. This required bringing in additional skills and resources in disciplines such as electronics and PLC technology, which could only happen if WK Hydraulics gained access to greater resources than it can currently command. This ambition in turn fits neatly with that of DMC to become a 'competence centre' covering the entire hydraulics sector.

“WK Hydraulics will deliver on all its contracts under its own brand until the end of March,” says Peter Kok, its managing director. “After that, our product range will be sold under the Damen Marine Components or the Van der Velden Marine Systems brand names. The transition will be complete when we join the DMC team at its new facility at Hardinxveld, which is currently under construction. Support for users of our existing systems will continue without interruption.”

Steef Staal, managing director of Damen Marine Components, added, “WK Hydraulics has always been an important supplier and indeed partner for Damen Shipyards. With DMC now moving to extend its product portfolio, we identified the need to enhance our capabilities in hydraulics and hydraulic-driven deck gear. WK Hydraulics is ideally positioned to fill that gap. We are very happy to welcome the complete WK Hydraulic staff and their skills and knowledge. We are looking forward to a successful future together.”

Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 36 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. Damen has delivered more than 6,500 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers around 175 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept Damen is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, Damen vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types Damen offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. Damen also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating (and covered) drydocks, including the longest, 420 x 80 metres, and the widest, 405 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyage.