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Friday, March 24,
2000
New top
appointments at FGH
J. L. Holloway, chairman and chief executive officer of Friede
Goldman Halter has announced the appointment of two company executives
to new positions:
John F. Alford assumes the title of president
and COO. He was formerly an FGH executive vice president with
responsibility for business development.
Richard T. McCreary assumes the title of
group president, Halter Marine. McCreary had been senior vice
president, administration and managed the company's vessel repair
business.
"Both of these men have played key
roles in every major decision this company has faced in recent
years, and their involvement in our future will only become greater,"
said Holloway. "I am counting
on each of them to play a larger part in executing our strategy
of increasing shareholder value by focusing on core businesses
and eliminating non-value-added activities."
Alford, 40, joined Friede Goldman Halter's
predecessor company, Friede Goldman International, in 1996 after
a career in banking and served as senior vice president and chief
financial officer at the time of Friede Goldman's initial public
offering. Since then, he has served as architect of the company's
acquisition strategy and has spearheaded the team working to
resolve outstanding contract issues. He holds an undergraduate
degree in business from the University of South Mississippi.
McCreary, 44, joined Halter Marine Group
in 1997 after a 20-year career in shipping. His initial duties
included responsibility for all corporate administration functions
and in 1999 he assumed sales and operations responsibility for
the company's five vessel repair yards in Louisiana and Texas.
Prior to joining Halter, McCreary held management positions with
Maritrans, Canal Barge, Valley Line and SCNO Barge Lines. He
holds a bachelor's degree in naval architecture from the University
of Michigan and a master's in business administration from the
University of Chicago.
Newport News Shipbuilding makes a software buy
Newport News Shipbuilding (one of whose largest shareholders
is Bill Gates) has made a significant software buy. ENOVIA e-business
solutions along with IBM Global Services will be used to optimize
and support design, development and construction of all future
Newport News ships.
ENOVIA e-business solutions are described
as helping companies speed product innovation while simultaneously
managing the huge amounts of data generated in the development
process. They do this by enabling collaboration between teams
that are often located in multiple locations.
ENOVIAPM will be used for product data
and document management and will act as an interface to both
the engineering and manufacturing software used by Newport News
Shipbuilding. The ENOVIAPM software will track more than four
million parts, two million designs, drawings and revisions and
another two million bill-of-material configurations.
It is expected that more than 1,000 Newport
News Shipbuilding employees will use the ENOVIAPM e-business
solution when in full production. To minimize any impact on operational
activities, the implementation will be initiated in stages and
is expected to be completed within the next year.
"The configuration management features
and the tight linkages to our CAD and ERP software made ENOVIA
the obvious choice for us," said Steve Hassell, chief information
officer, Newport News Shipbuilding. With such a huge project
we are especially pleased about the end-to-end support and services
we are getting from IBM." He later added, "With such
a huge project we are especially pleased about the end-to-end
support we are getting from IBM Global Services."
Newport News Shipbuilding chose ENOVIA
as part of an extensive re-engineering effort. One key goal is
to reduce production delays by helping product designers access
information on existing parts and designs using a central repository,
thereby minimizing or eliminating the time it takes for redesigns.
Tanker
owner launches on-line chartering venture
OMI Corporation has announced the creation of SeaLogistics.com,
which it describes "as a neutral electronic exchange for
the shipping industry.
SeaLogistics will offer a broad range of
content and services for the entire shipping industry and will
initially focus on on-line chartering for the shipment of crude
oil and petroleum products.
"Due to the fragmentation of charterers,
shipowners and sources of information, the current chartering
process is inefficient, expensive and opaque," says Craig
H. Stevenson, Jr.. president and CEO of OMI, and chairman and
interim CEO of SeaLogistics. "By using e-commerce tools,
SeaLogistics is creating an electronic marketplace to directly
address these issues and benefit charterers and shipowners through:
- Reduced total shipping costs and elimination
of inefficient processes
- More efficient cargo-vessel match through
broader access to ship owners, information about cargo availability,
and opportunity to actively bid on back-haul opportunities
- Creation of a transparent and 'demystified'
shipping market that will enable more effective trading
- Access to a ship safety and environmental
history
- Creation of a liquid forwards market for
petroleum shipping''
SeaLogistics is in discussions with major
charterers and shipowners to determine levels of
participation. It expects to be on-line during the fourth quarter
of 2000. OMI has retained McKinsey & Company
to act as strategic advisor in connection with the launch of
SeaLogistics.
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