Ingalls Shipbuilding hosted HD Hyundai Heavy Industries leaders Tuesday, advancing joint goals of the memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies earlier this month. The visit focused on identifying near-term opportunities and exploring the implementation of new processes that could support the acceleration of ship production.
“This visit is a continuation of the important dialogue taking place between HII and our international partners,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said. “Today’s visit allowed us to showcase the great work our Ingalls shipbuilders do every day in support of national security and an opportunity to exchange ideas on best practices, while examining what we can begin working on right away.”
The visit included meetings with Ingalls leadership, a tour of the shipyard and a stop at the company’s new virtual welding lab, where the group experienced how this immersive, hands-on training environment is not only enhancing the skills of current and future shipbuilders, but also setting a new national benchmark for how technology can be leveraged to grow a highly proficient workforce in this essential trade.
“We appreciate the opportunity to visit our partners at HII and see how they are using technology to enhance efficiency and quality at Ingalls,” Chief Executive of the Naval & Special Ship at HHI Won-ho Joo said. “We look forward to building on the strong foundation set by our recent MOU announcement.”
HII and HHI are two of the world’s leading shipbuilders across multiple classes of ships. By working with shipbuilding allies, this strategic partnership aims to leverage the combined expertise and resources of both companies to advance technological innovation, maximize production efficiency, and strengthen the global defense industry.