To work with the world’s leading manufacturer of electric tugs, MasterMover to manufacture and fabricate a series of tugs for use in the Tengiz Field oilfield in Kazakhstan.
MasterMover had designed a product specifically for use on their customer’s oilfield. They needed a fabrication partner that could manage the full process, from optimising the design for manufacture to fabricating the high-end tugs.
We worked with Derbyshire-based MasterMover to manufacture and fabricate a bespoke tug for use by their end customer, Chevron.
MasterMover came to us with a design for the tug, and we used our Design for Manufacture expertise to optimise the product for manufacture, ensuring we were able to meet their specifications whilst simplifying the designs as much as possible. This included removing a large amount of welding to make the product easier and more cost-effective to manufacture. We then put the product through our New Product Introduction (NPI) process to ensure we were clear on the product requirements before moving into production.
The tug was manufactured in stainless steel, a material that requires a high degree of precision and skill to weld. As part of our constant dedication to training, we upskilled our welding and fabrication team to be able to work to the highest level of quality with this material.
Achieving the customer’s specified timescales and delivery requirements was very important for this project, as they had contractual obligations to fulfil in turn. This required a collaborative effort between the Project Managers and key stakeholders at both Universal Wolf and MasterMover, to achieve the goal.
We were there for MasterMover at every step of the project. We ensured they had a dedicated Universal Wolf Project Manager to guide them through the process, address any issues and ensure they had complete peace of mind.
Our partnership enabled MasterMover to go from prototype to project completion, improve its manufacturability, and deliver a cost-effective product.
We delivered 43 units which met the defined design and specification. With our support, MasterMover created a product that was able to deliver for its customer in a tough environment and achieve improvements in reliability. MasterMover were happy with the outcome of the project and our partnership built a foundation of trust for future collaboration, enabling us to begin working with them on their standard portfolio.
