CAN TECHNOLOGY REVITALIZE OUR SHIPBUILDING INDUSTRY?

Improved technology is critical if U.S. shipbuilding companies are to regain a profitable place in the world commercial shipbuilding market. To be profitable, U.S. shipbuilders must at least be at technical parity with international shipyards against whom they will compete, but currently, U.S. shipbuilders are behind international shipbuilders in the four major categories of technology: shipyard production technology, system technologies, business process technologies, and new product and new materials technology. Among these four categories of technology, U.S. builders are close to parity with international competition in shipyard production technologies, further behind in system technologies, quite far behind in business process and new product and material technologies. U.S. government agencies can help substantially in assisting U.S. shipbuilders to reestablish themselves technically in the international market in several ways: U.S. Navy procurement of noncombatants to commercial specifications, further support of the "up-front" technologies in product design, product modelling, process modelling, and simulation, and continued support for yard level and design technology improvements. However, no industry in a position similar to that of U.S. shipbuilders has become internationally competitive in less than 5 to 10 years - if at all. Given the existing competitive position of the industry, with labour hours twice the international level in some market segments, the industry faces an enormous task.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • SNAME Trans, v 103, 1995, p 3 [19 p, 5 ref, 1 tab]
• Authors:
  • Stewart, J M
  • Haskell, A J
• Publication Date: 1995

Language

• English

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Maritime industry; Shipbuilding
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Construction; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00734279
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: British Maritime Technology
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 27 1997 12:00AM