Scana Mar-El

Managing director: Hans Olav Kilen
Employees: 26
Turnover: NOK 40 million

Scana Mar-El is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of maritime control systems for the propulsion and manoeuvring of ships, and control systems for special applications. The systems are supplied for most types of vessel, from fast ferries and yachts to fishing boats, ferries and supply vessels.

Scana Mar-El was founded as Mar-El (Maritime Electronics) in 1974 at Dalen in Telemark, Norway, where the company is still located and is a company of significant size in the filed. Mar-El was taken over in its entirety by Scana Industrier in summer 1996, and changed its name to Scana Mar-El.

Around 2,800 systems have been delivered since the company commenced operations. Today’s products use the latest technology, and are developed on the basis of extensive experience with safety and user friendliness in focus. As at 31st December 2008, the company had 26 employees and a turnover of NOK 40 million.

Market and customers

Scana Mar-El operates with its specialist expertise in the global market, where we have observed that packaged solutions are becoming more and more sought after. Scana Mar-El meets this demand through strategic collaborations with relevant partners. These include its fellow associate company Scana Volda, which supplies gear and propeller equipment, which allows us to be be able to provide a complete propulsion system.

Our key customers are engine suppliers, gear and propeller manufacturers, as well as shipyards and shipping companies. The systems are supplied to vessels throughout the world, many via Norwegian and European engine, gear and propeller manufacturers. The company holds a significant market position. For instance, we have a market share of about 70 per cent for propulsion control systems and steering gears for fast ferries with controllable pitch propellers, where strategic partners supply the gear and propeller equipment.

Products

The company’s main products are:

• Maritime control systems for the propulsion and manoeuvring of ships: propulsion systems, rudder control systems and smaller steering gears, thruster control systems and joystick-systems.
• Agency: positioning sensors, joysticks/MMI and instrumentation.

Scana Mar-El frequently launch new products. For example, in 2008 we launched a new overarching control system with position hold; a system previously reserved for large ships. Much of our activity relates to product development, and we are interested in development projects being carried out in collaboration with other parties, often customers and users. We currently offer control systems for the most common propulsion and manoeuvring units/systems. In the market for high-tech solutions that we are in, further development, and particularly development according to customer specifications, is essential. Our ongoing product development and upgrading is therefore an integral part of our work. At any one time, at least 15 per cent of the staff is dedicated to product development.