Ecomar and Rockwell Automation joined forces in marine sector

Ecomar was founded in 2009 to develop the maritime and offshore industry sustainably. The company is headquartered in Mariehamn, Åland Islands, but project teams operate globally.

Ecomar offers a wide range of fully integrated automation solutions, including machining optimization, installation of ballast water treatment systems, scrubbers, hydraulic solutions, and piping.

Rockwell became "a natural choice" 

Ecomar and Klinkmann had years of collaboration in the maritime sector for electrical components when the development project for scrubber automation began.

"We did electrical installations for CR Ocean Engineering Corporation. The company asked us to build an automation system for scrubbers," says Jonas Svenblad, Vice President of Development at Ecomar. Jonas has over 30 years of experience in the maritime industry and about 20 years of experience working on ships as a maritime electrical and electronics engineer", says Svenblad. 

"The choice of Klinkmann and Rockwell Automation for the project was a natural one. They offered support with the software and promised to deliver exactly the optimal technical solution. Those were the most important requirements from our side."

For the fast and scalable implementation of the project, the scrubber automation concept was standardized and based on Rockwell Automation technology:

• Allen-Bradley CompactLogix logic
• FactoryTalk View SE interface

"The best user inteface" 

The first system created jointly by Klinkmann and Rockwell Automation with Ecomar was implemented on the Bore Bay cargo ship. The project began in 2017. Now Ecomar has built about 55 systems for the American scrubber manufacturer CR Ocean Engineering.

"CR Ocean Engineering has experience with many automation systems, but they find Ecomar's system to have the best user interface and it is the easiest to use," says Svenblad.

Flexible support, time-critical projects

Klinkmann reacted quickly and offered flexible support in demanding and time-critical automation projects.

In the beginning of the automation development project, Ecomar faced some difficulties with the necessary approvals. They received a lot of change requests from both the classification society and the customer. Docking ships on short notice was also challenging.

"The logistics from the factory to the dock was already challenging, but Klinkmann's contact Niklas Flykt helped personally," recalls Lindblad.

"We stayed on schedule because of him. Niklas sought solutions and drove the project forward, he was available 24/7 and supported our team. We faced significant challenges, and I am very proud of how well we managed them."

Ecomar received clear and dedicated support from Klinkmann throughout the project, which the project managers greatly appreciated.

"The software application had to be completed quickly, and we needed quick response and flexibility from Klinkmann. The service we received was exceptional and allows for the development of good customer relationships", emphasizes Lindblad.

The future looks bright

Projects are completed on time in rapidly changing markets – the future of Rockwell in scrubber automation projects looks bright.

"We have delivered so-called open-loop scrubber systems, and now we are developing hybrid scrubbers. Now that the markets are recovering from the pandemic, we are scaling up our deliveries using a standardized and scalable automation system based on Rockwell Automation solutions and with the technical support of Klinkmann," says Jonas Svenblad.