Finnish Maritime Cluster Yearbook 2020 -2021

Marine industry
Cadmatic has a firm belief
in data-driven shipbuilding
As CEO of Cadmatic, a company that provides design
and information management software for
the shipping, construction and process industries,
Jukka Rantala has firsthand experience of the
progress being made in ‘paperless design’ at shipyards.
He thinks that digitalisation in data-driven shipbuilding,
with all its digital twins and automation, is without a doubt a
trend that is here to stay.
“Ships require just as much design as industrial production
units. Digital twins (that is, virtual models) of ships are
becoming increasingly commonplace, as they make it easier to
fit pipelines and other larger elements together,” says Rantala,
describing the developments in 3D design that began back in
the 1980s.
According to Rantala, the reason for digitalisation and automation’s
triumph is clear: technology eliminates routine work
and reduces the number of errors that end up in production and
manufacture. Provided, of course, that they use data of sufficient
quality.
Cadmatic and its software lie at the heart of shipbuilding, as
it is exactly this type of 3D software that is able to check and
minimise design flaws in advance. Good software improves
information management, leads to higher-quality work, and reduces
delivery times.
“Thanks to digitalisation, ships can already be designed and
built almost without paper. Data is transferred straight from the
designer’s desk to production and manufacture,” says Rantala,
adding that Cadmatic is an extremely competitive partner and
software provider both for shipbuilding design and for processing
large volumes of data and data models.
“We support a very modern networked operating model in
which dozens – and sometimes even hundreds – of networked
companies and suppliers are responsible for a ship’s design and
construction,” he says.
Cadmatic’s position as the market leader in 3D design software
and information management solutions is reflected in its
customer base. Almost half of the world’s approximately 450 active
shipyards use Cadmatic software.
“Our customers are shipyards and the design agencies that
serve them, and to some extent also shipping companies. We
employ about 230 people, half of whom are based in Finland.
All of our software development is carried out in Finland or the
Netherlands,” says Rantala.
Acquisition to round out design palette
Although some of Cadmatic’s major customers are cruise ship
builders, the company’s future in shipbuilding is not dependent
on the cruise business alone, says Jukka Rantala.
“We’ve been seeing slow signs of recovery in our cargo ship order
book for some time now. That’s good for Cadmatic, as our software
and tools work just as well in the design of all types of vessels.”
In 2019, Cadmatic acquired the software company Kymdata
to round out its design palette. This start-up is based in Kotka
and its products perfectly complement Cadmatic’s repertoire.
“This acquisition has brought us a great deal of added value,
as Kymdata’s electricity and automation software is extremely
competitive and rounds out Cadmatic’s product portfolio to
encompass all the relevant areas, including for ships,” says Rantala,
explaining the reason for the acquisition.
Cadmatic is owned by Elomatic (53%), Sampo and Mandatum
Life (17%) and personnel (30%). In 2019, Cadmatic’s net
sales rose to EUR 28.5 million from EUR 20.5 million in the previous
year. More than 80 per cent of the company’s products are
exported. ✖
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