Efficiency drive at Lindø

Odense, 27 May 2008

Odense Staalskibsværft A/S - Lindø - is in an extremely difficult financial position. Lindø is still operating at a massive loss and is hit hard by the international fluctuations, including the development of the US dollar.

The severe competition from the Far East where costs are substantially lower than here also contributes to putting Lindø under pressure.

"This is the background for presenting a plan for an efficiency drive to Lindø's Board of Directors, a plan which the Board has discussed at today's meeting," says Lars-Erik Brenøe, Chairman of the Board, and he continues:

"The objective of implementing the plan is to ensure that there will still be a shipyard on Funen in the coming years. The Owner has in recent years invested substantial amounts in the yard, but it is necessary now to bring down the yard's costs significantly in order to provide momentum for its possibilities of surviving in the long term.

In this connection, it might not be possible to avoid lay offs," says Lars-Erik Brenøe.

The plan involves a number of requirements to be made by everybody in the yard - management, white collars and blue collars - with a view to strengthening the yard's productivity and competitiveness.

Odense Steel Shipyard Group