Shipbuilding Technology Transfer Discussed By New York SNAME

Levingston Shipbuilding Company, Orange, Texas, and IHI Marine Technology, Inc., a subsidiary of Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Company, Ltd. (IHI) of Japan are working together to introduce a number of Japanese shipbuilding techniques at the Levingston yard. This work is being performed under a research and development contract from the U.S. Maritime Administration, the cost of which is being shared 50-50 between MarAd and Levingston. The program is part of the National Shipbuilding Research Program managed by MarAd's Office of Advanced Ship Development.

The two authors—Timothy Colton of Levingston and Yukinori Mikami of IMT — explained the origins and background of the program, how it is organized, and how the results are being shared with other U.S. shipyards. They outlined the distinctive features of the Japanese philosophy of shipbuilding management, and the principal characteristics of the technology being transferred. Finally, they described the principal findings of the program thus far, the applications that have been or are being implemented, the results achieved, and their expectations for the future.