The company Schiffstechnik Buchloh was founded in 1994 in Unkel on the Rhine by Dipl.-Ing. Heiko Buchloh. At that time, besides him as the owner, a technical draftsman was employed. Initially, the company was mainly engaged in ship design and calculations.
After a corresponding establishment in the market and the associated growth of the employee base, the portfolio expanded to include design services.
In 2017, Kai Buchloh, design mechanic, field of application shipbuilding and naval architect, took over the management from his father.
In the meantime, the company counts 10 employees.
The activities have changed in that significantly more modern tools are used in ship design and simulations and the resulting findings can also be used in early design stages. Project team structures have been established to allow clear responsibilities and efficient and fast work.
The focus of Schiffstechnik Buchloh is on inland and coastal shipbuilding. In the field of inland shipbuilding Buchloh is the contact with the greatest expertise and clout Germany-wide.
In the last 10 years Buchloh has projected more than 30 designs with alternative propulsion systems. There are now 14 vessels sailing on European waterways that were developed by Schiffstechnik Buchloh and feature alternative propulsion systems.
We are pioneers in the field of electric mobility. In our references you will find a variety of battery electric vehicles, solar ships and ships with fuel cell propulsion, including the world's first hydrogen-powered passenger ship ‘Alsterwasser’ . As a rule, these concepts are based on so-called "night charging". In other words, they are vehicles that do not operate at night and can be moored at a plannable location and supplied with electricity.
Our references include vessels for private customers as well as government vehicles. We have a lot of experience with award procedures, tenders by public authorities and the associated building regulations. Especially in the area of tendering procedures we have been able to build up a lot of expertise in order to provide our public sector customers with optimal advice and to accompany them on the way to their best possible ship.
We are an independent service provider, designing and constructing the best possible ship for your needs and looking for the most suitable shipyard to implement your wishes and our plans. As the project supervisor, we are your sole contact from the first meeting until any deficiencies in the built vessel are corrected.
The start of a ship development process is defined by a structurized collection of data, requirements, informations and boundary conditions. We developed a customized process out of this to gather the needed input, from our client and with our own measurements, in a smooth and efficient manner.
To set a efficent framework for a desing task, the collected input needs to be processed. This gives us the oportunity to define sharp borders for the design space in the necessary locations and to give room for creative solutions at the same time.
Our highly educated and skilled experts are equiped with the best design tools which are available in the market. With a strong integration of simulations into the design process we can over the best designs and solutions for your tasks.
Heiko Buchloh founds the company and starts working in the cellar of his family home