Austal USA can now offer both aluminum and steel manufacturing.
“These are their ships. They built them, and they take a lot of pride in their work. That makes a big difference.” Once the modules leave the MMF they are transported to the vessel assembly bays using multiaxle transporters capable of lifting modules weighing over 400 tons and measuring up to 120'. The only catch was putting ships in the water using someone else’s drydock. But having their own drydock now has solved that problem. With the success Austal has found in the aluminum boatbuilding business and room to grow physically, the company has decided to branch out into steel manufacturing and the repair business — to catch lightning in a bottle again. And that’s exactly what shipyard officials are doing.
Change Order
STEEL PRODUCTION
By Ken Hocke, Senior Editor
A
ustal USA, Mobile, Ala., has been a prolific builder of aluminum fast warships for the Navy for two decades. From its humble beginnings in the late 1990s, the yard has blossomed into a world-class shipbuilder, primarily on two Navy contracts — the 421'6"×103.7' Independence-variant littoral combat ship (LCS) and the 338'×93'×12' expeditionary fast transport (EPF) vessel. The shipyard’s 700,000-sq.-ft. module manufacturing facility (MMF) is a modern, hyper-technological facility with a production line that produces a ship that’s 85% complete when it finishes its trip across the building. “There’s no losing work because of weather delays here,” said Mike Bell, senior vice president of operations. “My workforce is very young, and we run a 18
Doug Stewart
ABS
Austal USA moves into steel construction and ship repair. lean shipyard.” Bell’s office is not on the other side of the campus in a glassed-in office complex right out of Silicon Valley. It’s right there in the MMF. “Anyone can come to my office any time to discuss whatever needs to be discussed,” said Bell. “I want the people who work here to feel they can come to me with whatever problem arises.” Austal USA employs about 3,500 workers, many of whom would have few opportunities to make a living wage if they weren’t a part of the shipyard’s “family.” “Most of these people would have been at McDonald’s 10 years ago,” said Bell. “I’ve had them tell me, ‘I’m the first person in any generation of my family to buy a house.’” Bell said his workers know that if they work hard it’s going to pay off for them. But it’s become more than just a job. “They’re part of a team,” he said.
Last March, Austal USA broke ground on its $100 million steel production assembly line facility right next to its aluminum MMF. Austal estimates that it will start steel production in April. The addition of steel capability is designed to keep the shipyard as a major contributor to the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base. During World War II, residents of Mobile built steel Liberty ships that were critical to the war effort. In the coming years, Austal will look to build and deliver steel ships needed by the Coast Guard and Navy. Bell said the shipyard will bring its proven lean manufacturing processes and facility design to the steel shipbuilding market. These processes have helped deliver 24 ships to the Navy in the last nine years. The Navy apparently has been satisfied. The Navy awarded Austal USA a $144 million, two-ship towing, salvage, and rescue ship (T-ATS) detailed design and construction contract in October. The contract award marks the first steel new ship construction program for the shipyard. The award follows the Navy’s $3.6
www.workboat.com • MARCH 2022 • WorkBoat
