HOUSTON - Thrustmaster of Texas has expanded its product lineup to include waterjets, thanks to the thruster manufacturer’s acquisition of the technology of Doen Pacific earlier this year.
Doen, which has been designing and manufacturing waterjet propulsion systems for the past 48 years, is one of five marine waterjet manufacturers in the world building waterjets up to 4,000 kW, Thrustmaster says. Each waterjet model excels in the harsh operating conditions of the commercial and military marine markets.
To meet the demands of large scale, commercial applications Thrustmaster says it plans to introduce two new models to the Doen waterjet product lineup. The 400/450 series Thrustmaster Doen waterjets will extend the power range from 100kW to 6,400kW.
Doen brings forward outstanding performance and reliability levels with all models designed and built to exceed the most stringent industry standards. Thrustmaster Doen’s axial flow waterjets provide speeds up to 45 knots combined with exceptional low speed thrust and load carrying capability, the company says.
The manufacturing of the Thrustmaster Doen waterjet product range in Houston is a key element in this joint strategy. Thrustmaster’s 2009 investment of $40 million into a 200,000 square feet, dedicated propulsion manufacturing facility laid the groundwork for the latest agreement between the two companies to produce large orders of waterjets.
As Joe Bekker, president of Thrustmaster, explained during the opening ceremony of the facility,
“What you are looking at is a large plant to build large thrusters,” said Joe Bekker, Thrustmaster’s president during the facility’s opening ceremony. “We are in the thruster business and we mean to stay here in the thruster business for the long haul.”
The manufacturing facility is supported by Thrustmaster’s global sales and service network that includes Houston, Lafayette, Rotterdam, Singapore, Dubai, Brazil and India.
Thrustmaster’s agreement with Doen enables Thrustmaster waterjets to be sold in Europe, North America and South America. The agreement was reached after a year of planning between Doen’s Director Mark Peters, Doen’s Director/Chief Engineer Timothy Udvary and Thrustmaster’s Bekker.
For over 30 years, Thrustmaster has been providing heavy duty thru-hull azimuthing thrusters, deck-mounted propulsion units for barges, retractable thrusters, transverse tunnel thrusters, and the patented Portable Dynamic Positioning System to the offshore, and marine.
The entire product lineup is designed and manufactured in-house by a complete engineering department for mechanical, hydraulic, and electrical design.
The Thrustmaster Doen waterjet lineup includes:
• 100 Series Waterjets are available in seven model sizes ranging from 100kW to 900kW to accommodate vessels from 6m up to 20m. They’re supported by simple mechanical and electronic control system options.
• 200 Series Waterjets are available in four model sizes ranging from 400kW to 2500kW to accommodate vessels from 15m up to 45m with stainless steel jets supported by a complete range of electronic controls with joystick docking.
• 300 Series Waterjets are available in two model sizes ranging from 1,300kW to 4,000kW to accommodate vessels from 30m up to 60m with stainless steel jets supported by a complete range of electronic controls with joystick docking.
• New 400 Series Waterjets are available in two model sizes ranging from 100kW to 6,400kW to accommodate large vessels with a complete range of electronic controls with joystick docking.
