Damen Marine Components (DMC), the oldest company in Damen Shipyards Group, celebrates its 150th anniversary today. DMC has grown from a very small shipyard established in Gorinchem in 1865, to become the largest nozzle builder in the world.

Via a live satellite link, around a 1,000 customers, employees, suppliers and colleagues, at its three main locations in Hardinxveld (the Netherlands), Jiangyin (China) and Gdansk (Poland), will toast this historic occasion simultaneously.

Although DMC’s own roots were established in 1865 when Jan van de Giessen set up a business from a small wharf in the ‘Kalkhaven’, the history of shipbuilding in the area actually dates back to the 14th century. DMC itself was officially founded 10 years ago, when two Damen Group members were merged – Van de Giessen and Gdansk Engineering Works. GEW was actually the first company Damen Shipyards ever acquired outside of the Netherlands. Looking back over the years, DMC managing director, Steef Staal told the audience how, above all, he believes DMC’s success is because it ‘has become a partner to its clients, rather than just a supplier’. “We help our clients and work together with them.”

Quality is paramount, he emphasises, both in terms of our products and in delivery times. “We have built up close relationships with our customers by delivering reliable quality.” He points out that DMC partners are mainly leading OEMs.

Just in the last decade alone, DMC has nearly tripled its turnover to €36m and this has been possible due to Damen Shipyards’ willingness to invest in cutting-edge equipment and innovative production processes. DMC has three large spinning machines, which are able to manufacture nozzles up 7.5 m in diameter. “Perhaps there is another builder out there able to make these spectacular nozzles but I am not aware of it!” He adds that it is not just about the spinning machines alone but crucially, the novel manufacturing technique deployed, which means that nozzles are made with only a single weld on the inner side.