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Armed with revolutionary products and bold marketing ideas, Olson has shaken up the shipbuilding industry. Heading a corporation with spearheading technology in design and information systems specifically created for shipbuilding and offshore industries, he has ushered the industry into the digital age. Today, Tribon's design and information systems are installed at close to 340 sites in 44 countries, making it by far the most widely used system in the shipbuilding industry. "Tribon is dominating the world market. All types of commercial ships, warships and offshore vessels are designed and built using Tribon systems through the entire building process, from conceptual design to manufacture and assembly," explained Olson. This pragmatist takes on his job with a no-nonsense approach that has won Tribon Solutions the distinction of being the undisputed leader in its sector. Last year, figures showed that Tribon software users launched 48 percent of all container ships, 49 percent of bulk carriers and 40 percent of tankers. Asked about how Tribon Solutions achieved the impressive figures, the company chief cited Tribon?s feat of simplifying the complicated process of shipbuilding. "With our technology, we are able to reduce the lead-time, cut costs, cut man-hours and increase quality. We are sole innovators, developers and partners focusing on the shipbuilding and offshore industries. That gives us a distinct advantage over the competition." Having spent a great deal of time in Asia, Olson has a great respect for the region, particularly the Japanese market. "To be a major player, we had to be present in Japan and learn from the Japanese shipbuilding industry," he explained. "We worked in Japan for five years before we signed our first agreement. At first, we were not selling our technology. We were just informing. "We had a dialogue mainly with people in Kawasaki trying to explain what our technology will do. They investigated our technology and they added a lot of requirements to meet their specific needs. In late 1994, we were able to sign our first agreement with Kawasaki and since then, we have had a very close and open relationship with them. I am very proud of what we have been able to achieve in the Japanese market because, as you know, this is probably the hardest market to penetrate in the world."
As of late last year, there weren't many corners of the shipbuilding world where Tribon had not made its presence felt. But that didn't seem enough. In October 2000, Olson set out to conquer whatever was left when he launched tribon.com, a neutral marketplace that provides an Internet solution by linking shipyards, maritime equipment suppliers and ship owners through a comprehensive global network. "We have brought the benefits of e-procurement to the shipbuilding industry. What tribon.com has created is a portal where shipbuilders, designers and suppliers can be connected 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Through this fully supported e-commerce functionality, we have been able to shorten all lead times considerably," said Olson. As of May, figures show that more than 100 shipyards signed up to tribon.com, with 33 coming in between late-2000 and early-2001, a sure sign of the growing interest and impact that it is bringing to the industry. From the supplier side, the growth numbers are just as impressive. In October 2000, less than 10 shipbuilding equipment suppliers used the portal. Now, the numbers have increased significantly and Olson has set the target of 600 suppliers by the yearend.
"Because of globalization aided by the Internet, it is no longer difficult to use a subcontractor sitting on the other side of the world," he explained. "Through our portal, we are changing the way the whole supply chain operates. The ones that are slow to adapt to the technology will be left behind. "One important item that differentiates tribon.com from our competitors is that close integration into the design process can be downloaded from tribon.com as a component and be available in the design work," he added. With a market of 250 shipyards, 1,000 design agents, 6,000 suppliers and about 1,000 vessels, the task of linking them all up is a formidable. Fortunately through Tribon, Olson is sailing them in the right direction.
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From Tribon's head office in Malmo, Lennart Olson directed the successful launch of tribon.com last October.
Tribon bases its global operations and internet network in Malmo, Sweden
