Open AccessIncreasing Value and Savings in Shipbuilding With Innovative Technologies
Author(s) -
David A. Ford,
Tom Housel
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
defense acquisition research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2156-8405
pISSN - 2156-8391
DOI - 10.22594/dau.19-842.27.03
Subject(s) - shipbuilding , navy , investment (military) , product (mathematics) , value (mathematics) , work (physics) , product lifecycle , emerging technologies , return on investment , operations management , manufacturing engineering , computer science , new product development , business , engineering , economics , production (economics) , marketing , mechanical engineering , geometry , mathematics , macroeconomics , archaeology , machine learning , artificial intelligence , politics , political science , law , history
To effectively and efficiently build and fund the projected larger fleet, the U.S. Navy must reduce costs while meeting mission needs by leveraging the full benefits of new technologies. Three-Dimensional Laser Scanning (3DLS), additive manufacturing (AM), and product life-cycle management (PLM) may be able to provide such benefits. The current work tests this hypothesis by estimating potential cost savings and return on investment (ROI) to assess the impacts of these commercially available technologies on naval shipbuilding. Results indicate that very large savings and increased value are possible by adopting and using these technologies. The conclusions enumerate insights about how technology can increase value and reduce costs in shipbuilding.