World Tour 2021 – Marine Edition

Having recently returned from the digital PALFINGER World Tour 2021, which took place from the 16th to 18th of June, it is time for us at the Marine business to take stock of what was a truly remarkable day for everyone involved. More than 11,100 users from 79 countries registered for the event. The live streams were viewed more than 8,700 times. The good news is: if you missed the event, or simply would like to re-experience certain segments, you can do so via this link.

Words of welcome

We are immensely proud that the 16th of June, an entire day of this year’s PALFINGER World Tour online event, was dedicated exclusively to the Marine business. Gunther Fleck, Vice President Sales & Service Marine, stressed in his opening statement that it is of the utmost importance to retain close ties with customers and partners in tough times. The World Tour gave us an excellent opportunity to present our latest products and technologies, as well as to exchange ideas, thoughts, and visions of the future, in a safe digital environment at a time when face-to-face meetings are still limited at best.

Felix Strohbichler, CFO PALFINGER, joined Gunther to reiterate that the World Tour is a format built to last, a testament to how PALFINGER harnesses the opportunities of digital transformation for the benefit of customers and business partners. We have many more World Tours to look forward to. Andreas Klauser, CEO PALFINGER, reaffirmed this by making clear that he steadfastly believes in showing customers that they are valued and that we are willing to invest in relationships. But even as the end of the pandemic is dawning on the horizon, Andreas Klauser warned that recovery without trust stands on shaky ground. That is why PALFINGER remains fully committed to creating values together.

Marine Panel

Marianna Evenstein, our wonderful host for the day, then teamed up with a panel of PALFINGER experts consisting of COO Martin Zehnder and Senior Vice President Product Line Management & Engineering Andreas Hille, as well as Product Line Leaders Stefan Oberleitner, Jarle Sørstrønen, and Jens W. Hinsch, to discuss specific solutions and potential future developments in their respective fields.

One of the main issues discussed in depth was safety, especially employee safety in harsh, high-risk environments. The consensus among all panel participants was that autonomous and remotely controlled workflows will play a significant role in the future and that PALFINGER remains at the forefront of this development. A major challenge in this respect is seamlessly integrating PALFINGER’s solutions into existing customer systems. Last but not least, our panel discussed sustainability in the marine industry and what effect increasing electrification can have.

Breath-taking Keynote

Next up was a real highlight: a fascinating keynote speech delivered by current freediving world record holder Herbert Nitsch, also known as “The Deepest Man on Earth”. As a pioneer in the freediving community who has introduced plenty of innovations to his sport, he was a perfect testimonial for our “Challenge Accepted” motto. As Marianna put it: “Both Herbert and PALFINGER push for maximum performance and try to go beyond what is considered humanly possible.”

Herbert’s 33 world records across 9 disciplines certainly speak for themselves. A quote that best explains the man, who is as obsessed with the sea as PALFINGER’s marine experts, epitomizes the values we share …

Each time I think I’ve reached a limit, a door opens, and the limit is gone.

Herbert Nitsch, Freediving World Record Holder

Global service hubs

PALFINGER is about people, be it employees or customers. The best service is provided by the best people. Therefore, we decided to invite representatives of our seven main PALFINGER service hubs to present their respective locations in short segments that we compiled into an interesting feature video. The stops of this journey around the globe within the World Tour include Ji Tang in Shanghai, Chang Hae Chan in Singapore, Nicholas Hubbard in Dubai, Dmitry Beleznev in Russia supported by Heinrich Schröcker in Austria, Jürgen Falch in the Netherlands, Guilherme Felix in Brazil, and Gary Joseph in the US.

Want to know how our remote Smart Eye technology is used for commissioning cranes? Interested in how non-destructive testing works? And what is a sprinkle test? Check out the video to find all this out and more.

Expert talks

As the service hub video proves, PALFINGER employs experts from all over the world. We invited seven of our brightest minds to deliver expert talks on PALFINGER technology and the future potential it harbors. Jan Silgjerd talked about the development of the first fully electric offshore crane and further steps towards increased safety through autonomous cyber-cranes. Alexander Schouten and Arnoud Straakenbroek then provided a fascinating insight into the world of boats developed for governmental authorities.

Aquaculture is a demanding market that boasts growth even when times are tough. Franz Schnöll and Bernd Huemer pointed out that PALFINGER has served this segment for almost 30 years. Yet the technology we offer and the market itself still offer enormous potential. Jens W. Hinsch held an expert talk about how davits are so much more than a mere LSA launching device. Smart davit solutions are the next step towards digitized product environments with preventive maintenance capacities. Last but not least, Torstein V. Svane took us on a journey to explore the versatility of the latest slipway system technology and how it adapts to ever-changing situations and environments.

Parallelly to the regular program, the event featured interactive roundtables that afforded participants an opportunity to gain latest insights and ask questions on a wide variety of topics.

With the Marine Edition of the PALFINGER World Tour coming to a close, PALFINGER wholeheartedly agrees with host Marianna when she points out that we had the privilege to meet so many impressive people doing such amazing work in this industry. We realize there’s a lot to unpack, even in this recap of the event. So, don’t forget that all content can be re-experienced here.

We don’t know about you, but we are already looking forward to the next PALFINGER World Tour.