Naval Group

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Naval Group

logo
legal form Corporation
founding 2003
Seat Paris , FranceFranceFrance 
management Hervé Guillou
Number of employees 13,612
sales 3.6 billion euros
Branch Shipbuilding, armaments, renewable marine energies
Website naval-group.com
Status: 2019

Naval Group, SA (until June 2017 Direction des Constructions Navales (DCNS) ) is a French industrial group active in the design and construction of marine surface vessels and submarines of all classes as well as in the field of renewable marine energies.

Overview

The group employs more than 13,612 people in 16 countries. The company, organized under private law, is 62.25% owned by the French state, 35% owned by Thales , while 1.8% of the shares are held by active and former employees (0.95% are owned by the company ). DCNS is the successor company of the French state-owned naval shipyards and the Direction des Constructions et Armes Navales (DCAN), which became DCN ( Direction des Constructions Navales ) in 1991 . In 2003 the company was converted into a public limited company organized under private law and Thales joined in 2007. This was accompanied by the name change from DCN to DCNS.

history

Former Naval Group (DCNS) logo

Creation of the naval shipyards

In 1624, Cardinal Richelieu , then Prime Minister of Louis XIII. devised a naval strategy aimed at expanding the naval yards so that the French naval forces could rival those of Britain. This policy was implemented from 1631 with the establishment of the Marine du Ponant on the Atlantic side and the Marine du Levant on the Mediterranean side, the establishment of the Brest naval shipyard and the expansion of the Toulon naval shipyard founded under Henry IV . Jean -Baptiste Colbert, Louis XIV's naval minister , continues this strategy and develops several strategically important shipyards: expansion of the Toulon shipyard, excavation of the basins of the Brest shipyard, creation of the Rochefort shipyard . His son Jean-Baptiste Colbert, marquis de Seignelay , who took office in 1683, continued this policy. In the 18th century the network of the royal naval shipyards was expanded even further. In 1750 , the Marquis de Montalembert transformed an old paper mill in Ruelle-sur-Touvre into a cannon forge. In 1777, Antoine de Sartine , the naval minister of Louis XVI. a cannon forge near the Indret shipyard . In the same year, work began on the port of Cherbourg , which was completed in 1816. In 1778 the Lorient naval shipyard replaced the Compagnie des Indes in the port of Lorient. The Rochefort naval shipyard closes in 1926. In 1937 the Saint-Tropez branch was established in the facilities of Schneider, a company specializing in torpedo manufacturing. At this point, most of the French branches of DCNS that still exist today were established.

Industrialization and technical innovation

In the 19th century, the shipyards were transformed to accompany the development of the navy towards motorization. The different locations are industrialized and gradually specialize. In 1865, the Brest naval shipyard was given an exclusively military orientation, which went hand in hand with the closure of the port on the Penfeld River to merchant ships. In 1898, the Cherbourg naval shipyard, after initially turning away from sailing boats and turning to propeller ships, was commissioned exclusively with the construction of submarines.

Finally, in 1927, the regulations of the various shipyards were established by decree: Brest and Lorient were entrusted with the construction of large ships, Cherbourg with the construction of the submarines, Toulon , Bizerte and Saigon were responsible for the maintenance of the fleet This rationalization of the The abandonment of the shipyards goes hand in hand with technical and military innovations, as well as, against the background of the global arms race and colonization, with accelerated ship production.

In 1858, for example, La Gloire , the first ocean-going ironclad, left the Toulon shipyard. The first torpedo ships and war submarines were built around 1860: In 1863, the Plongeur, the first motorized submarine, was launched. Due to its technical problems, however, it is more considered a prototype than an operational warship; however, it paved the way for the Gymnote in 1886 and the Narval in 1899, the first operational torpedo submarines in history. The production of heavyweight surface vessels also gained in importance around 1910. Numerous ironclad ships were built before the First World War and in 1939 the 35,000 ton ship Richelieu added to the French navy.

Merging of the business areas

In 1946, the decree of 1927 on the distribution of tasks between the various shipyards was supplemented by an inventory of the French naval shipyards. Then Brest was entrusted with the manufacture and repair of large ships, Lorient with the construction of medium-sized ships, Cherbourg with the construction of submarines and Toulon with the repair and maintenance of the fleet. Regarding the locations not on the coast, the following arrangement is made: Indret is commissioned with the propulsion systems of the ships, Ruelle with the construction of cannons, large parts and electronic systems, Saint-Tropez with the manufacture of torpedoes and Guérigny with the manufacture of chains and Anchor. Five locations are located overseas: Mers el-Kébir , Bizerte , Dakar , Diego-Suarez , Papeete .

Until 1961, the State Navy ensured the maintenance and repair of its fleet itself through the "Directions des Constructions et Armes Navales" (DCAN) of the various naval shipyards. The engineers of DCAN it was officers of the engineering troops of the Navy. At this point, the shipyards are split off from the Navy, which in turn allows their areas of activity to diversify over the course of the 1970s.

Now only a single DCAN is responsible for all naval shipyards in mainland France and overseas and is itself subordinate to the DTCN (Direction Technique des Constructions Navales). The DTCN in turn is subordinate to the ministerial arms delegation founded by Michel Debré . In 1977 the DMA became the General Directorate for Armaments (Délégation Générale de l'Armement, DGA). The aim of this reform is to combine all planning and construction capacities of the army in a cross-army delegation on behalf of the government.

In 1958, General de Gaulle officially launched the French nuclear weapons program and adopted a policy of military deterrence, bringing about a restructuring of the industrial and technological defense base.

In the course of the Cœlacanthe project, the DTCN and the CEA are merged and in 1967, the Redoutable, the first French nuclear submarine, is put into operation.

Business changes

In the 1970s, the global economic situation and decolonization caused the DCAN to develop further in new markets. In addition to the loss of the overseas arsenals, the French navy's lower demand for warships and the difficulty of continuing to finance themselves add to this. This development accelerated further with the end of the Cold War, despite the diversification of DCAN's activities and their expansion to include maintenance of the power grid and demining the coastal area. Some locations specialize in civil projects: Brest builds railway wagons and Guérigny agricultural machinery, Toulon builds civil ships (yachts and passenger steamers).

In addition to the problematic order situation, however, the state character of the DCAN in particular is increasingly being called into question, since the associated administrative effort is seen as an obstacle to the possible further development of the French shipyards.

The subsequent development takes place in several steps. In 1991 the DCAN changes its name and becomes DCN (Direction des Construction Navales); in the same year the international DCN is founded. This is a public company designed to promote DCN's business internationally and to facilitate the export of its production.

In 1992 the state activities of the DCN were finally subordinated to the "Service des Programmes Navals" (SPN), which was entrusted with the construction management of boats for the state navy. Thus, the DCN is no longer only responsible for industrial activities and at the same time remains within the DGA. With this status change, DCN International can support DCN on an economic and legal level in the development of its international offers at the end of the 1990s.

This development strategy supported by DCN International is reflected in several large contracts. In 1994, 3 Agosta submarines were delivered to Pakistan and in 1997 two Scorpène submarines were built for Chile. In 2000 the company was commissioned by Singapore to build 6 frigates of the Formidable category. In 2002 it signed a contract with Malaysia through its subsidiary Armaris for the delivery of 2 Scorpène submarines.

In 1997, DCN also received orders in the field of off-shore oil production; For example, the Brest site is modernizing the Sedco 707 platform and building several SFX oil platforms.

In 1999 the DCN becomes a State Competence Service (SCN) reporting directly to the Department of Defense. In 2000 the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier was delivered and in 2001 the French government finally decided to transform DCN into a fully state-owned private limited company. The status change will take effect in 2003.

Development of the DCNS group of companies

In 2007, the group acquired the France shipbuilding division of Thales , Armaris , the subsidiary formerly owned equally by DCN and Thales, and MOPA2 , the company commissioned with the project for the second aircraft carrier. Thales acquires 25% of the group's capital and DCN becomes DCNS, with the S symbolizing the service sector. In 2011 Thales increased its stake to 35% of the capital of DCNS.

Thanks to the development in accordance with the articles of association that began around the year 2000, the DCNS Group is able to further develop its civilian business areas, which have been in existence since the post-war period, and make them an integral part of its growth strategy. In the course of this development, DCNS passed the championship project in 2009, with the help of which the group would like to develop into a global market leader in the field of naval equipment and an innovation leader in the energy sector (nuclear energy and renewable energy sources). The “Vision 2020+” developed in 2012 is intended to help achieve this goal. While the vision defines the goal to be achieved, the strategy specifies the path to be followed. In order to further improve its performance and thus meet its growth targets, the DCNS group of companies focuses in particular on innovation, internationalization and sustainable development.

innovation

The FREMM multifunctional frigates will be built from 2007 in a Franco-Italian joint project with Thales, Fincantieri and Leonardo. The frigates, developed as part of the largest European naval procurement program in recent years, are multi-purpose combat ships equipped with the most modern technologies developed by DCNS and the best systems available on the world market. They have a hybrid drive that is unique in the world and is characterized by its low noise level. Its displacement is 6,000 tons, the speed over 27 knots and its total length 142 meters with a crew of 100 to 145 Marines.

In 2008, the deck landing of an aerial drone on a sea frigate was a world first. To ensure coherent research and development work, in 2013 the group established the DCNS Research division, which was responsible for communication in the Group's research area.

internationalization

Thanks to the numerous contracts concluded with the international naval forces, DCNS has succeeded in gaining a foothold in the countries concerned and strengthening its international presence. In 2005, DCNS Far East was founded in Singapore, the Group's first foreign subsidiary. The Moroccan Navy ordered a FREMM frigate in 2007. In 2008, following two contracts concluded in 2005 and 2008 for the delivery of six conventional Scorpène submarines, the subsidiary DCNS India was launched. The submarines will be built in Mumbai under license through a joint venture with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited . On December 23, 2008, the Brazilian Navy ordered 4 Scorpène submarines - the most important international order for DCNS to date. All submarines, with the exception of the forward pressure hull of boat 1, which is being built at DCNS in Cherbourg, are built in Brazil at the newly built Itaguai Construcoes Navais shipyard. A joint venture was established between DCNS (41%) and the Brazilian company Odebrecht (59%). The shipyard in Sepetiba Bay near Itaguaí will be officially inaugurated on March 1, 2013 by the Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

In April 2016, the Australian Department of Defense placed an order with DCNS to manufacture 12 submarines and announced a 50-year partnership with the manufacturer. The contract is worth $ 20 billion  in manufacturing and $ 30 billion in ongoing maintenance. Competitors in the contract award were ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and the Japanese Ministry of Defense.

The Shortfin Barracuda submarines are set to replace the current Australian Collins-class submarines. The Shortfin Barracuda is the conventional variant of the French nuclear powered Barracuda class. It has a displacement of more than 4,000 tons and is equipped with six torpedo tubes, anti-ship missiles and mines. It is considered to be the most advanced conventional submarine in the world. Its total length is 97 meters, it can dive over 350 meters deep, travel at a speed of over 20 knots and has a crew of 60.

Other important orders are:

  • Continuation of the Group's subsidiary in Malaysia (DCNS Malaysia) as part of the delivery program for 6 Gowind corvettes in 2013 (no signature date). Production takes place on site as a joint venture.
  • Delivery contract for 4 Gowind corvettes to Egypt 2014.
  • Delivery contract for a FREMM frigate to Egypt 2015.
  • In autumn 2013 a contract was signed with Saudi Arabia for the maintenance of 4 frigates of the Madina class (F 2000), 2 suppliers of the Boraida class and 3 frigates of the Al Riyadh class (F 3000).

At the International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) in mid-February 2019, the Naval Group and the state-owned Saudi armaments holding Saudi Arabian Military Industries (Sami ) agreed to found a joint venture in Saudi Arabia for the development of modern marine systems, including the construction of warships. The Naval Group will also build additional Gowind corvettes for Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Sustainable development

Within the Group, the company launched DCNS University in 2013 to promote internal and external further education. Externally, it introduced the Poseidon Prize for students in 2006 and created the professional integration program “Les Filières du Talent DCNS” in 2008, which is enriched every year with additional social measures for people in difficult life situations.

Business activity

Naval's business can be divided into two broad sectors: the naval forces, the traditional core business of the house (naval surface ships, submarines, operational maintenance and training of the naval forces), as well as renewable marine energies (tidal turbines, thermal ocean energy and wind energy), civil use of nuclear energy, construction of shipyards and power plants.

Naval forces

Naval plans, builds and maintains naval surface ships, submarines and the associated systems and infrastructures. As a builder and system integrator, Naval is active along the entire value chain: strategic programming, planning, construction, operational maintenance and operation.

The group supplies conventional products to the French national navy and, with the approval of the French government, also to foreign naval forces. It also puts its know-how at the service of the air force when it comes to the planning of automatic control and combat systems and the renovation of aircraft.

Surface vessels

  • Multi-mission frigates: frigates of the FREMM category
  • Air defense frigates: Horizon frigates
  • Medium tonnage vessels: Gowind corvettes
  • Aircraft carrier: Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier
  • Helicopter carriers / command ships: Mistral-class BPC
  • Supply tanker
  • Patrol boats
  • Construction of aerial drones for the Navy

Submarines and submarine weapons

Renewable marine energies and infrastructures

With the development of solutions in civil nuclear power and renewable marine energy sources, Naval takes an innovative position.

The skills acquired by the Naval group of companies in the field of ship propulsion systems open up the possibility of developing further solutions in civil nuclear power. The group is working with EDF , DEA and AREVA on the construction of EPR nuclear reactors and the maintenance of nuclear power plants. In addition, the group is also developing projects such as the modular Flexblue underwater reactor .

Naval also builds thermal power plants and shipyards. In particular, the group designs power plants in Mayotte, La Réunion and Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon. He is also involved in the construction of international shipyards such as the submarine shipyard in Sepetiba Bay near Itaguaí in Brazil.

Finally, Naval is investing in four renewable marine technologies: tidal power plants, marine thermal power plants, offshore wind turbines and the wave power plants. When it took control of the Irish company OpenHydro in 2013, the group moved from the research and development phase to the industrial production phase.

Obligations

Naval develops several programs for professional training and integration. For example, the group has signed the so-called SME Pact, which is intended to facilitate relationships between large companies and small company structures, and is establishing partnerships with elite colleges and universities. DCNS also organized the Poséidon Prize between 2006 and 2013 to support students from engineering schools. The award rewarded student projects in the field of innovation and the maritime environment. Since 2008, DCNS has also developed a program for the professional integration of technicians and unskilled workers under the name “Filières du Talent DCNS”. Thanks to this program, the group was awarded the state award for responsible citizenship in 2010.

The Naval Group's commitment to shipping through technology transfer as well as sponsorship and patronage activities also has a long tradition. The group is a partner of the Grand Prix de l ' École navale , a regatta that has been organized on the Crozon peninsula since 2001. In addition, he has been one of the partner companies of the Pôle France Voile de Brest since 2007 and works on the professional reintegration of former athletes.

In 2008, the DCNS group of companies built the DCNS 1000, a monohull for circumnavigation of the world, which can be seen in Christophe Offenstein's film Between the Waves , on which François Cluzet is one of the contributors.

The DCNS group of companies also contributed its technical experience at the level of composite materials for ship hulls and navigation systems to the construction of the experimental trimaran L ' Hydroptère and was a partner of the Areva Challenge team , which participated in the 2007 America's Cup. In its industrial site in Toulon, the DCNS group of companies has been a partner of the Toulon Rugby Club since 2005 .

organization

Naval is a public limited company under private law, the majority shareholder of which is the French state with 62.25% of the capital. The Thales Group owns 35% of the capital, the remaining 1.8% is divided into shares in an investment fund and employee shares. At the end of 2017, Naval employed 13,429 people, more than half of whom were private law workers and the other half were government employees. The group is represented in 18 countries and maintains a number of partnerships abroad through its subsidiaries and joint ventures.

Governance

The members of the board of directors of Naval Group are:

  • Hervé Guillou (chairman)
  • Frank Le Rebeller (Deputy General Director, Chief Financial Officer)
  • Alain Guillou (Deputy General Director, Head of Corporate Development)
  • Jean-Yves Battesti (General Secretary, Head of Strategy, Partnerships & M&A)
  • Nathalie Smirnov (Head of Services)
  • Olivier de la Bourdonnaye (Director Programs)
  • Laurent Espinasse (Head of Industry)
  • Jean-Michel Billig (Board Member Program Australia)
  • Caroline Chanavas (Head of Human Resources)

Financial data

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Sales (billion €) 2.93 3.36 3.07 3.04 3.19 3.70 3.6
Order intake (billion €) 2.53 2.27 3.60 3.52 2.65 4.00 3.68
Order situation (billion €) 14.46 13.22 12.26 11.6 11.91 13.83
Result from ordinary business activities (million €) 208.5 166.4 64 102.5 172.7 265.9
Net result (million €) 163.7 104.1 336.1 68.4 94.3 142.2 178.2

Branches

In France

Naval Group has 12 offices in France, each specializing in different business areas

  • Bagneux: information and surveillance systems, military logistics
  • Brest: service, maintenance of boats and submarines, maintenance of industrial port infrastructures of the navy, renewable marine energy sources. The site is located in the Brest naval shipyard and on the island of Longue and is part of the Pôle Mer Bretagne .
  • Cherbourg: submarine construction
  • Issy-les-Moulineaux: renewable marine energies, civil nuclear power
  • Le Mourillon: information and surveillance systems
  • Lorient: surface ships
  • Marseille: civil nuclear power
  • Nantes-Indret: submarines, research and development, nuclear propulsion. Co-founder of the competitive pole EMC2
  • Paris: headquarters of the group
  • Ruelle-sur-Touvre: submarines, automated systems, simulators, training
  • Saint-Tropez: underwater weapons (torpedoes)
  • Toulon: services, maintenance of the submarines and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier

Worldwide

Naval Group has numerous offices in Australia ( Naval Group Pacific ), Saudi Arabia , Chile , the United Arab Emirates , Greece , India , Indonesia , Malaysia , Norway and Pakistan . The group is represented worldwide with subsidiaries and joint venture companies held jointly with other companies.

In Europe

In France:

  • Sirehna, 100% subsidiary: hydrodynamics for shipbuilding, navigation solutions for ships and deck landing solutions for sea, land and air vehicles as well as drones
  • Défense Environnement Services, a 49% owned subsidiary in partnership with Veolia Environnement : Multiservice Infrastructures
  • Kership, a 45% owned subsidiary in partnership with Piriou: medium tonnage ships for the French state

In Ireland:

  • OpenHydro, a 59.7% owned subsidiary: tidal power plants

In Asia and the Middle East

In Saudi Arabia:

  • DCNS Support, a wholly owned subsidiary: Supporting the DCNS group with tasks to maintain the operating conditions

In India:

  • DCNS India, a wholly owned subsidiary: Technical and research support for local shipyards

In Malaysia:

  • DCNS Malaysia, a 100% subsidiary: Support of the DCNS group of companies in their local activities
  • Boutade DCNS Naval Company, a 40% owned subsidiary in partnership with Boustead: Submarine Maintenance

In Singapore:

  • DCNS Far East, a 100% subsidiary: logistics and maintenance of ship and airship systems

In America

In Brazil: DCNS DO BRASIL, a wholly-owned subsidiary: The Group's sales office in Brazil

  • Prosin, a 100% subsidiary of DCNS Do Brazil: Engineering of marine systems for Brazil
  • Itaguai Construçoes Navais, a 41% subsidiary in partnership with Odebrecht: construction of submarines under a contract signed by DCNS with the Brazilian Navy

In Canada:

  • DCNS Technologies Canada Inc, a wholly-owned subsidiary: The Group's sales agency in Canada.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Governance NAVAL website
  2. a b c Key Figures 2018 NAVAL website
  3. a b Financial data 2018 NAVAL website
  4. Company history . ( Memento of the original from June 26, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. former DCNS website  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / en.dcnsgroup.com
  5. - History of the navy - 3 mars 2014
  6. - Extension on the French dockyards  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.ecole-navale.fr  
  7. ^ - French Shipbuilding Industry
  8. Decree of 22 avril 1927 on the Navy's organization, Journal Officiel de la République Française, 1927
  9. Yves FREVILLE, “La réorganisation du MCO et la création du service de soutien de la flotte”, Information report by the French Senate n ° 426, 2005
  10. Company history . ( Memento of the original from June 26, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. DCNS website  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / en.dcnsgroup.com
  11. http://www.nti.org/analysis/articles/france-submarine-import-and-export-behavior/
  12. http://www.offshore-mag.com/articles/print/volume-58/issue-5/news/sp  ( page no longer available , search in web archivesInfo: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: Dead Link / www.offshore-mag.com  
  13. Company history . ( Memento of the original from June 26, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. DCNS website  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / en.dcnsgroup.com
  14. a b Description of the FREMM European Multimission Frigate on the website of the specialist magazine Naval technology .
  15. ^ DCNS Far East is Developing its Underwater Inspection Activity . Press release DCNS
  16. DCNS and Odenbrecht Celebrate Inauguration of Brazilian Navy Submarine Construction Facility . Press release DCNS
  17. ^ Paul Karp: France to build Australia's new submarine fleet as $ 50bn contract awarded. In: theguardian.com. April 26, 2016, accessed April 26, 2016 .
  18. [1]
  19. DCNS starts the Construction of the first Gowind 2055 Corvette for the Egyptian Navy . Press release DCNS
  20. DCNS FREMM transfers the Tahya Misr to the Egyptian Navy . Press release DCNS
  21. https://www.naval-group.com/en/news/modernization-of-the-saudi-arabian-military-fleet-dcns-opens-its-programme-management-platform-premises-in-toulon/
  22. ^ France's Naval Group signs warship construction deal with Saudi Arabia. In: euronews.com . February 17, 2019, accessed on February 17, 2019 .
  23. Idex 2019: French shipbuilder Naval Group bullish on Mena sales with Saudi deal in the bag. In: thenational.ae. February 17, 2019, accessed on February 17, 2019 .
  24. http://en.dcnsgroup.com/career/school-relations/le-trophee-poseidon/
  25. DCNS prend le contrôle d'Openhydro meretmarine.com, accessed on February 17, 2019 (French)
  26. Trophée Poseidon. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 31, 2014 ; accessed on September 16, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / 2013.tropheeposeidon.com
  27. Partners . In: GPEN . Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  28. l'Hydroptère DCNS Hydrofoil Sailboat ( fr ) In: Ship Technology . Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  29. Archive link ( Memento of the original from October 6, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / fr.dcnsgroup.com
  30. http://www.armement.ead-minerve.fr/index.php/8-industries/37-dcns