HII (NYSE: HII) hosted leaders from HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) at the company’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division this month for a three-day engagement to advance joint goals of the memorandum of understanding signed by the two companies in April. During the visit, leaders from HII and HHI exchanged insights on shipbuilding technology and manufacturing processes, discussing both commercial and military shipbuilding opportunities.
“As our partnership with HHI continues to evolve, this visit allowed us to demonstrate the expertise of our Ingalls shipbuilders and the significant investment made in technology in our shipyard over the last several years,” Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette said. “I look forward to seeing how the ideas generated during this visit will develop in the coming months to create additional opportunities to increase efficiency and accelerate the delivery of critical ships for the U.S. Navy’s fleet.”
During the visit, the group toured the shipyard, observed the state-of-the-art robotic technologies and other modern production capabilities being utilized by Ingalls. This particular visit provided first-hand insight into how innovation is driving greater efficiency and consistency in shipbuilding.
“This visit has been a great opportunity for us to see how HII has been advancing its expertise in shipbuilding, and we look forward to discussing insights that will further deepen our collaboration,” said Sangbong Lee, senior vice president at HHI. “We have high expectations for how our partnership will evolve and hope to share innovative approaches that will deliver significant value to our customers.”
Joining the visit to further evaluate future joint maritime opportunities was Eric Chewning, HII’s executive vice president of maritime systems and corporate strategy. Focused on expansion of domestic and international partnerships he said, “leveraging advanced technologies in support of our customers cannot happen fast enough and this partnership is a powerful step in the right direction to not only enhance throughput at Ingalls, but to strengthen and expand the U.S. shipbuilding industrial base.”
The collective efforts applied under the strategic partnership aim to leverage the combined expertise and resources of both companies to advance technological innovation, maximize production efficiency, and strengthen the global defense industry. Specializing in multiple classes of ships, HII and HHI are two of the world’s leading shipbuilders.
