IHI's Experience of Technical Transfer & Some Considerations on Further Productivity Improvement in U.S. Shipyards (The National Shipbuilding Research Program)

Ishikawaiima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. IHI, a leading shipbuilder in Japan, has uniguely exported shipbuilding technology throughout the world for three decades. The North American efforts, starting in the mid seventies, were stimulated by the U. S. GovernmentIndustry National Shipbuilding Research Program NSRP. The technology transfer, for which the U.S. Maritime Administration MarAd deserves much credit, has significantly modernized and improved U.S. ship- building systems with carryover into naval shipyard operations for overhaul of all types of warships. But, pro- ductivity levels achieved thus far in the U.S., while impressive, are not nearly as great as those in Japan. This paper is based on analyses of the underlying differences of shipbuilding systems, technology, and practices between those in Japan and in the U.S. Hopefully, descriptions of the state-of-the-art IHI technology will serve as guidance for further productivity improvements in the U.S.