Manufacturing Capability News

Hepburn and Sons LLC announced it has officially joined forces with MELD Manufacturing Corporation, developer of the patented, solid-state metal additive manufacturing process and provider of MELD 3D printing machines. The companies have been working together since 2021 to introduce the Navy and other military services and DoD agencies to MELD, also known as additive friction stir deposition.Hepburn and Sons LLC is a small business founded in 2010 whose initial focus was to provide expert consulting…

As a rudderless U.S. Navy debates maritime strategy, fleet futures and platform performance, America’s naval shipbuilding industry can look forward to another year of relative stasis.Barring a major geopolitical incident or unexpected maritime provocation, government shipbuilding isn’t going to change course. With Admiral Michael Gilday approaching the final “lame duck” year of his four-year term as Chief of Naval Operations and the 2024 election season looming, the prospect for major changes in the Navy’s demand signal seems limited.Aside from the U.S.

Global Energy Group (“GEG”), the Scottish-based energy services company has agreed on terms with offshore wind tower manufacturing specialist, Haizea Wind Group (“Haizea”), to build a £110m-plus (~$146 million) offshore wind tubular rolling facility at Port of Nigg, located in the Scottish Highlands. GEG said Friday that Nigg Offshore Wind (“NOW”) would be 450-meter-long, 38,000 m2 factory, capable of rolling steel plate to supply towers which will weigh in excess of 1,000 tonnes each and other products…

Australia-based VEEM, a company designing and building marine propulsion and stabilization systems, will manufacture a pilot propeller blade for the Hunter Class Frigate Program (HCFP), under a contract awarded by BAE Systems Maritime Australia."The order enables VEEM to demonstrate it has the manufacturing capability to join the HCFP supply chain. As a world leader in premium commercial propellers that has delivered similar blades to defense clients globally, VEEM is very confident it can meet the requirements of the HCFP…

Victaulic’s forward-thinking vertical integration remains, at the same time, solidly connected to a rich and varied past. It is still common to hear waterfront stakeholders refer to alternative pipe connection systems as temporary or simply as ‘a new development.’ While none of that could be further from the truth, the education of the marine community as to the merits of these products as an alternative to traditional flanges continues. These products – like Victaulic’s market offerings – are indeed mainstream parts of the marine sector, their use limited only by the imagination of designers, builders and operators who constantly find new applications to improve their bottom line. Since the 1920s, Victaulic couplings have demonstrated their value in countless maritime applications.

As Brunswick Commercial & Government Products expands its capabilities and product line, the Florida-based boatbuilder is positioned to safely provide increased efficiencies, and an expanded, multi-mission product line. When Brunswick Commercial & Government Products (BCGP) broke ground on a facility expansion at the company’s Florida headquarters in early May, it served notice that this well-known boatbuilder had ramped up both its delivery capabilities, and an expanded array of new hulls. With a new large-boat building that includes added manufacturing space and other facility improvements, the 10,500-square-foot facility increases the company’s manufacturing capacity by 50 percent.

The Nautican Research and Development manufacturing facility in Summerside, Prince Edward Island, said it is now ready to ship the facility's first Integrated Propulsion Unit (IPU) to a client in Alaska. “Nautican is another excellent example of an emerging advanced marine technology company finding success right here on Prince Edward Island,” said PEI Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Heath MacDonald, who was on site with Nautican representatives to review the Ocean Series Class 200 IPU system prior to shipment.

The last barrier to robotic shipbuilding has just fallen. What comes next will be truly exciting. It wasn’t too long ago that SSI and Wolf Robotics demonstrated some co-development which automatically drove a fully autonomous welding robot to weld several ship panels. SSI develops Autodesk based solutions for the shipbuilding and offshore industry including ShipConstructor software, an AutoCAD based CAD/CAM product line; and EnterprisePlatform, a tool for sharing product data model information. For its part, Wolf Robotics has been integrating robotic welding and cutting systems since 1978. The collaboration was part of a National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) Computer Aided Robotics Welding (CAR-W) project with U.S. shipyards.

Overhead crane and hoist manufacturer Ace World Companies has made its first appearance at the Inland Marine Expo, which took place for the third time this May at America’s Center Convention Complex in St. Louis, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River. The expo is the annual trade show for the inland and intracoastal marine transportation industry, which is a target market for the manufacturer and its recently acquired business, Pullift Corporation, a provider of standard and custom material handling equipment, including winches. Camron Ghanemi, vice president at Ace, said, “I was encouraged by recent comments from Michael Toohey, the president of the Waterways Council, who referenced ‘record funding’ to modernize the nation’s inland waterways transportation system.

In December Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor Corporation (MCO), a Group company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) based in Hiroshima, will establish a new company in Brazil in a joint venture with Mitsubishi Corporation (MC), to be known as MHI Compressor do Brasil Ltda. (MCO-B). Creation of the new entity, which will launch commercial operations in February 2016, is targeted at developing the Latin American market for compressors, with a focus on expanding sales of compressors for use in Floating Production, Storage and Offloading systems (FPSO), a market expected to see robust demand as Brazil develops deepwater oil fields. Initially MCO-B will perform sales and after-sale servicing functions, with local manufacturing capability targeted for the future.

The tube bending machine innovator Unison said it is moving the technology forward again, with the completion of a groundbreaking all-electric machine that is capable of bending tubes and pipes up to 9 inches/225 mm in diameter. The availability of all-electric machines at this new size level brings the benefits of instant set-up and right-first-time precision bending to many new applications in sectors including shipbuilding, powergen and oil, gas and chemical processing. According to Unison…

UK's International Safety Products, manufacturer and supplier of marine safety products, says it launched a redesigned package of lifejackets at the recent Shipbuilding, Maritime and Machinery (SMM) trade show in Germany. The firm's Andy Scott said they unveiled new be-spoke versions of the Challenger Flexi-wing 150N, Challenger Interlock 275N and Challenger Worksafe Pro 170N lifejackets. The lifejackets now have additional design options to provide even greater comfort, particularly for people working across the maritime sector. Mr Scott said many manufacturers are highlighting 275N SOLAS/MED (Safety Of Life At Sea Maritime Equipment Directive) lifejackets as being better for working personnel than 150N SOLAS/MED lifejackets, whereas the opposite is true in many situations.

Governor Bobby Jindal and CEO Jack Jensen of Jensen Companies announced the development of a new 500,000-square-foot logistics facility by TCI Plastics – a Jensen Companies division – at the Port of New Orleans. TCI will make a $36.5 million capital investment to build the facility at its France Road Wharf hub, and the project will create 160 new direct jobs with an average salary of more than $33,400, plus benefits. LED estimates the project will result in an additional 183 new indirect jobs, for a total of more than 340 new jobs.

Liverpool marine firm International Safety Products (ISP) is announcing major defense sector growth after securing a deal with the Pakistan Navy. The Bootle business has signed a contract to supply the Asian security force with more than 180 assault troop lifejackets. The specialized life preservers have a low profile and compact design for use in amphibious operations. ISP managing director John Rogers said the firm is witnessing rapid expansion in the defense sector. It follows other recent deals with U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) and the Royal Netherlands Navy.

With a family of three yards located along the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, Signal International offers new construction, rig and ship repair, offshore and technical services. Marine construction and repair needs are complimented by three dry docks; a 30,000-ton lift rig dock, a 22,000-ton Panamax dry dock and a 4,500-ton lift dry dock. In Mobile, Ala., Signal Ship Repair (SSR) offers 4,400 ft. of water front along the Mobile River with a maintained channel depth of 44 ft. This facility specializes in ship repair and conversion.

Aker Solutions has laid the foundation stone of a new plant in Paraná that will double the company's subsea production capacity in Brazil. The plant in the city of São José dos Pinhais in the Paraná state in Brazil will be operational in 2015. It will replace Aker Solutions' current subsea manufacturing facility in Curitiba and double production capacity in the country. Aker Solutions' Executive Chairman Øyvind Eriksen and Luis Araujo, president and country manager of the company's Brazilian operations, today took part in a ceremony laying the foundation stone at the new site.

The IMO Type-Approved Balpure ballast water treatment system from Severn Trent De Nora has become one of the first ballast water treatment technologies to receive the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG) Alternate Management System (AMS) certification. AMS certification identifies an IMO Type-Approved system that meets the USCG requirements. Ships are required to have onboard ballast water treatment systems that prevent invasive species from being shipped into U.S. waters. The AMS certification has specifically approved the use of BALPURE…

World’s most powerful HVDC Light® sets new record voltage level of ±320 kV- more than 50 per cent higher than existing record. The HVDC Light converter station was energized at the Dörpen West substation in northern Germany, for the Dutch-German transmission system operator, TenneT. This station is the receiving end of the DolWin1 transmission link, which will integrate 800 MW of offshore wind power generated in the North Sea into the European transmission system and will operate at the new record voltage level of +/-320 kilovolts (kV). HVDC Light is a manifestation of HVDC that helps to address the needs of underground and subsea transmission and ABB leads the way in this technology, having delivered more than 20 such converter stations.

The High-voltage submarine and underground cable link will bring reliable power to a remote island fishing community. ABB has received an order worth around $10 million, from Landsnet, the Icelandic transmission system operator, to supply a high-voltage submarine and underground power-cable system that will transport electricity from the mainland to the volcanic island of Heimaey. Heimaey is the only inhabited island of the Vestmannaeyiar archipelago off the southern coast of Icleand.

Subsea & offshore solutions provider Unique Maritime Group (UMG) subsidiary Unique System celebrates its 20th anniverary. Founded in 1993 with 3 employees, UMG through its expanding network of companies has now become a specialist in the provision of offshore and onshore services including the sale and rental of equipment for the marine, diving, hydrographic, oceanographic, Oil & Gas and NDT market sectors. The group has also developed an established manufacturing capability for the delivery of customized engineering projects worldwide. Headquartered in the Hamriyah Free Zone in Sharjah, UAE, the group’s head office is situated within a land area of 14…

Unique Wellube successfully completes 28" to 58" Hot Tapping Project for Chiyoda Almana Engineering in the Middle East. Unique Wellube FZC (UWFZC) , a Unique Maritime Group Company  which is one of the world’s leading integrated turnkey subsea and offshore solution provider is pleased to announce the successful completion of Qty 3 off 28” Class 150 RF Hot Tap on 58” ASTM A358-304L Pipeline for Madina Group WLL and Chiyoda Almana Engineering LLC (CAEL). The end user for the same is RAS GAS.

Next year, developers hope to start building offshore wind turbines in the U.S., which is already a leader in on-land wind generation. As turbines spin off the coast in a dozen other countries, particularly the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany, global offshore wind capacity has expanded nearly six-fold since 2006. Most of these installations are in shallow water though winds are stronger out further. If the U.S. is to have offshore turbines, many residents want them distant enough so they can’t be seen or heard.

China Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings deliver their first container ship to a German owner. The new 6,500-TEU container ship measures 299.95 meters in length, 40 meters in breadth and 24.2 meters in depth. This latest delivery not only demonstrates a breakthrough of manufacturing capability at China Rongsheng Heavy Industries, but they say it also marked their comprehensive strengths in research and development and product diversity. Rongsheng believe that business upgrade and R&D capability are always development keys in the shipbuilding industry.