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Bill Pfister News

17 May 2010

SCA Recognizes Austal USA for Safety

Photo courtesy Austal USA Group of Companies

Austal USA received two awards from the Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA) for commitment to improving safety and health in the workplace. Austal USA President and COO, Joe Rella’ Health, Safety and Environmental Manager, Chris Blankenfeld and Vice President of External Affairs, Bill Pfister attended the SCA General Membership Meeting in Washington DC at the end of April where they were presented with the SCA Award for Excellence in Safety and the Award for Improvement in Safety.

07 Jun 2004

Austal USA to be Contracted for Littoral Combat Ship

The U.S. Navy has awarded a team that includes Austal USA, a $79 million contract to develop a final design for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), along with options to build two ships. Total contract value including both shipbuilding options is $536 million. With its unrivalled expertise in large, high-speed aluminum vessels, Austal, as the designer and builder of the proposed LCS vessels, is a major contributor to the team which is led by General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works. The team’s…

07 Sep 2000

Austal USA Appoints Senior Management Team

Austal USA has appointed two senior members of Austal Ships to Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. to join Bill Pfister, vice president of Marketing and Administration. In order to manage the production of vessels in the shortly to be completed 360 x 93 x 72-ft. (109.7 x 28.3 x 21.9 m) high fully enclosed construction hall, Simon Thornton has been appointed vice president of Operations. Simon, who has been with the company since 1998, has extensive experience in aluminium shipbuilding and project management spanning 25 years. Chris Pemberton joins the team as vice president of Sales and Marketing. Prior to joining Austal Ships in 1994, Pemberton worked in technical sales and marketing for Saab Aircraft and British Aerospace.

05 Jan 2001

Southern Hospitality

The teaming of Austal Ships and Bender Shipbuilding to construct, from the ground up, a world-class aluminum vessel construction facility in Mobile, Ala., highlights the level of investment mid-tier U.S. yards have made in the past five years. Austal, which is well regarded for its fast craft design and construction prowess, will have at its disposal arguably one of the finest plate production facilities in the country, as well as access to a market for its signature craft, which is seemingly poised to boom. The two companies, however found that through a melding of similar ideas — both on a philosophical and financial level — that they could assimilate their cultural and business practices to form what aspires to become the largest aluminum shipbuilding company in the U.S. — Austal USA.

20 Feb 2001

Austal USA Becomes Part of Mobile Skyline

By Regina P. The teaming of Austal Ships and Bender Shipbuilding to construct a world-class aluminum vessel construction facility in Mobile, Ala., highlights the level of investment mid-tier U.S. yards have made in the past five years. Austal, which is well regarded for its fast craft design and construction prowess, will have at its disposal arguably one of the finest plate production facilities in the country, as well as access to a market for its signature craft, which seems to be poised to boom. The two companies, however, found that through a melding of similar ideas - both on a philosophical and financial level - that they could assimilate their cultural and business practices to form what aspires to become the largest aluminum shipbuilding company in the U.S. - Austal USA.

19 Oct 2006

Austal USA Plans Expansion

The Press Register has reported that Austal USA revealed a multimillion-dollar expansion plan that includes adding a pair of 18,000-square-foot buildings at its site on the Mobile River and finding land on which to build a new facility. The company plans to add its first two-story building just north of its most northern shed, planning office space on top and shipbuilding space on the bottom. Bids on that job have been returned, and Austal plans to select a contractor for the project -- valued at between $2 million and $3 million -- in the next few days, said Bill Pfister, vice president of government programs. The company hopes to accept a bid for the second, similar building by December or January. It will be located just south of Austal's smaller shed.

27 Nov 2002

Lerchbacker Leads Austal USA to the Top

When Austal Ltd. of Henderson, Western Australia, started looking last year for a CEO to lead its U.S.-based operations, the job description must have been daunting. They wanted a leader to take the helm of their newly built shipyard in Mobile, Ala., and turn it into a major contractor for both military and commercial vessels in the United States. Austal had recently entered the U.S. market for the first time, intent on competing with higher-profile rivals such as Incat/Bollinger, Derecktor Shipyards and Kvaerner. The company settled on Alan Lerchbacker, 50, an energetic former Navy Aquanaut with a business background, who took the position in February 2002. Lerchbacker had never heard of Austal until a headhunter contacted him.