Latest news with #GeneralDynamicsElectricBoat
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Teens shine in New Hampshire Maritime Welding Competition
MANCHESTER — Manchester Community College hosted a new competition for high school students with a high stakes twist. This first-of-its-kind for New Hampshire event was designed to drive more people into a specific arena of work. Demand for highly skilled workers in welding is already high, but the evolving mission of the US military means 100,000 specially trained welders has become a top priority. With welcome addresses from Gov. Kelly Ayotte and Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais, the Project MFG Maritime Welding event brought together the local community and submarine shipbuilding suppliers. General Dynamics Electric Boat partner schools competed in a welding competition showcasing and challenging their welding skills. Students represented seven high schools across the state including: Pinkerton Academy, Seacoast School of Technology, Portsmouth High School's CTE Center, Berlin High School, Alvirne High School, Sugar River Valley High School and Spark Academy. Aidan Tanguay of Pinkerton Academy placed first in the competition. Second place went to Douglas Roy of Berlin, and the third-place finisher was Ethan Douglas of Pinkerton. Both Tanguay and Roy are eligible for an all-expenses paid trip supported by Project MFG to compete in the national finals to be held in June at Ferris State University in Michigan. Rep. Maggie Goodlander, D-New Hampshire, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and served 11 years in the Navy Reserves as an intelligence officer, addressed the group in the afternoon. The New Hampshire Maritime Welding Competition was organized by NH Manufacturing Extension Partnership, SENEDIA: The Alliance for Defense Tech, Talent and Innovation, Project MFG, General Dynamics Electric Boat, and the Community College System of NH. This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Teens shine in New Hampshire Maritime Welding Competition
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Connecticut's Chief Manufacturing Officer Aims For Growth, Reshoring
Paul Lavoie, whose long manufacturing career included stints in engineering services, hardware and electronics, is now applying his skills to help grow Connecticut's already vigorous manufacturing base in his unique role as the state's Chief Manufacturing Officer. In 2019, with a strong desire to build on the state's manufacturing base, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont created this unique state government leadership role with the responsibility of coordinating state and private-sector efforts to promote growth in the state's manufacturing sector. After a three-year tenure by aerospace industry veteran Colin Cooper, Lavoie took the reins in early 2022. While the Connecticut might fly under the radar somewhat when it comes to manufacturing due to its small size in both physical area and its population of just 3.6 million people, it often punches above its weight. It hosts such world-beaters as General Dynamics Electric Boat, the submarine builders in Groton, and Pratt and Whitney, the aerospace and defense manufacturer headquartered in East Hartford. Now Lavoie, whose office is part of the state's Department of Economic and Community Development, has developed a plan to deliver on the state's objectives to grow its industrial base. 'I'm the author of Connecticut's manufacturing strategic plan, and the strategic plan is a was written in response to feedback from the manufacturing sector,' he told me in an interview. 'I'm leaning in, listening to what their challenges are, learning about their businesses and linking them to resources.' Developing talent The strategic plan consists of four main components. The first of those is developing talent. 'Our developing talent program really is around three areas,' said Lavoie. 'First is inspiring the next generation of manufacturing leaders–the makers, the doers, the creators. We do things like, we fund a statewide robotics program. We've made a $2.6 million, two-year investment to level the playing field for robotics across Connecticut.' Career roadshows are also an important inspiration tool. 'We bring in middle school kids and high school kids to meet with manufacturing companies,' Lavoie explained. 'Last year, we brought in over 7,500 kids to meet with over 130 companies. And it's really just exposing them to what manufacturing is.' Finally, the state's 'I Got It Made' campaign features a downloadable lookbook that serves as a complete guide to manufacturers and industrial careers in Connecticut. 'The second part of developing talent is all around underserved groups,' Lavoie continued. 'So second-chance workers, veterans, women, neurodiverse individuals, people of color, tapping into groups of people the manufacturing sector may not even be aware of.' Upskilling and reskilling the existing workforce are the final elements of talent development. 'We provide every manufacturing company in the state of Connecticut under 1,000 employees with $100,000 in matching grant funds to train their employees,' added Lavoie. 'The state of Connecticut wants to be the partner in training for all of our manufacturing companies.' To date, the Office of Manufacturing reports that over 29,000 workers have been retrained under the program. Mush Khan, co-founder and CEO at Alchemy Industrial, an advanced manufacturing consultancy, agreed with that approach. 'One of the most important aspects of driving manufacturing re-shoring is finding talent in places and in ways that aren't necessarily traditional,' he told me via email. 'Connecticut's focus on finding hidden talent pools is a creative and critical part of driving the state's re-shoring efforts.' Business development and cost reduction The second component of the strategic plan focuses on business development, cost reduction and energy efficiency. 'How can we help companies grow, and how can we bring to them business development opportunities?' Lavoie asked himself. 'We've invested in a supply chain database that's for manufacturers only, where they can find each other and they can find work from each other, and they can connect with each other.' With respect to cost reduction and energy efficiency, meanwhile, he said, 'You're a business that wants to come to Connecticut, you're looking at opening up a new building, and it's not energy efficient. The state of Connecticut is willing to give you some incentives to drive energy efficient equipment to be able to reduce consumption.' 'Energy is a significant contributor to manufacturing costs,' said Khan. 'Implementing creative energy reduction methods like building energy efficiency and leveraging behind-the-meter microgrids can drive down energy costs.' Driving innovation The next part of the strategy involves driving innovation. 'The four areas that we're focused on in Connecticut are the digital transformation, so model-based definition, the model basis of engineering, and digital twins; additive manufacturing and introducing additive into the aerospace, shipbuilding and medical device industries, which are our three largest industries; robotics and automation–how do we get machines to do the work for people we're never going to hire anyway? And then AI… it's pretty clear with AI, because all of our large OEMs are using it already. We're not really concerned with it replacing a workforce in the manufacturing sector, but we do know that a production person who is AI-enabled is going to replace one that isn't AI enabled.' 'Innovation in terms of manufacturing methods and product development are incredibly powerful ways to establish entirely new ways to create value for customers,' added Khan. 'Innovation allows manufacturing companies to create an entirely new competitive position besides costs.' Improving collaboration The final element of the plan is improved collaboration, which Lavoie has assigned to his own office for primary ownership. 'We're going to be communicating to manufacturers on a regular basis. We've created a manufacturing ambassador program, which now has over 875 registered ambassadors who get regular communication from my office on what's happening in the manufacturing sector.' Khan agreed with that as well. 'The manufacturing supply chain is actually a 'long tail' of dozens or even hundreds of companies working together to create products for the market,' he said. 'Typically, this long tail is organically created over time but there are ways to accelerate this system through thoughtful and intentional connections.' While the strategic plan is still in its infancy, Lavoie is adamant that it delivers measurable positive changes. 'We're on the third revision,' he explained. 'I launched it in February of 2023, so now it's two years in. I'm on the third revision, and it has become a North Star for the state of Connecticut… You know, if it's strategically aligned, it drives impacts that scale with a measurable ROI, those are our four criteria that we evaluate programs with. So if I can't measure it… we don't do it. We don't just do things to do things.' The goals of the strategic plan are straightforward: to increase the state's manufacturing employment to 235,000 by 2033, which would represent a 4% per year growth, and to increase the manufacturing share of Connecticut's GDP to 20% by 2029. 'I think any state regardless of its size can be competitive when it comes to 21st-century manufacturing,' Khan concluded. 'We are entering a system of highly distributed and highly connected manufacturing companies working together to compete on a global scale.' 'Connecticut is a great example of how a state government that understands a business sector and puts resources into a business sector can drive significant impact for a state's economy and the state's GDP,' Lavoie said. 'I talk to states all across America about the role that I play and the impact that we have. When I took this job, manufacturing was 10% of the state's GDP. That was in February of 2022. Today, we stand at 12.9% and my goal is to get to 20%... When you take such an important sector and you put a champion in place, and you then apply resources to that, you have a really dramatic effect on growing that economy.'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Navy unveils newest Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Iowa
The Navy formally unleashed its newest Virginia-class fast attack submarine, the Iowa, in a commissioning ceremony Saturday in Groton, Connecticut. The 377-foot vessel, built by General Dynamics Electric Boat, can dive to depths of more than 800 feet below the surface and maneuver at speeds of over 25 knots, or nearly 29 miles per hour. Iowa is equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles and a nuclear reactor plant that eliminates the need for refueling, according to a Navy release. And as a Virginia-class, the boat was built with flexible design features, including an expansive lock-in/lock-out chamber for special operations divers and a reconfigurable torpedo room. The submarine can also deliver unmanned undersea vehicles. 'Make no mistake, naval warfare is evolving. Where battleships once ruled the seas, it is the silent strength of submarines that provides our Navy with an unmatched strategic advantage,' Navy Secretary John Phelan said at the commissioning ceremony. 'This is not just a milestone for USS Iowa, but a critical step forward in strengthening our Navy and ensuring America's global maritime dominance.' The newly commissioned sub, which carries a crew of 135 sailors, is the service's first vessel to be named after the state since the famed World War II-era battleship Iowa (BB-61). 'In this coming year, this crew of proud American sailors will put this warship to sea and carry the name 'Iowa' to the far-flung corners of the globe projecting combat power for decades to come,' Adm. Daryl Caudle, U.S. Fleet Forces commander, said at the event. 'It is the fearless warriors before me that turn this piece of metal weighing almost 8,000 tons — with hundreds of miles of fiber, cable and piping systems — into a combat ship, a warship designed to decisively win our nation's battles. Your preparation and execution to get this ship to commissioning day is nothing short of amazing.' U.S. Navy fast attack submarines enable sea control, power projection, maritime security, forward presence and deterrence, the service release stated, with capabilities to carry out operations spanning anti-submarine, anti-ship, strike, special operations, intelligence, reconnaissance, mine and surveillance missions. 'This event is significant for both the life of a submarine and for the amazing people from the Hawkeye State,' Iowa commanding officer Cmdr. Gregory Coy said. 'To the plank owners, the shipbuilders, the commissioning committee, and our Navy and Submarine Force leaders, this is your submarine.'
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
General Dynamics Electric Boat awarded $1 billion contract modification for long lead time material for Virginia-class submarines
GROTON, Conn., March 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- General Dynamics Electric Boat, a business unit of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), announced today it has been awarded a $1 billion undefinitized contract modification allowing Electric Boat to purchase long lead time materials for Virginia Class Block VI submarines as detailed in the U.S. Department of Defense contract announcement. "This contract modification drives continuation of the crucial demand signal that the submarine industrial base needs to invest in the capacity and materials required to increase production volume," said Mark Rayha, president of General Dynamics Electric Boat. "Consistent funding for the supply base is essential to achieve the high-rate production the Navy requires of the entire submarine enterprise." Virginia-class submarines are designed from the keel up for the full range of 21st-century mission requirements, including anti-submarine and surface ship warfare and special operations support. General Dynamics Electric Boat is the prime contractor and lead design yard for the Virginia class and constructs them in a teaming arrangement with HII's Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. General Dynamics Electric Boat designs, builds, repairs and modernizes nuclear submarines for the U.S. Navy. Headquartered in Groton, Connecticut, it employs more than 24,000 people. More information about General Dynamics Electric Boat is available at Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, General Dynamics is a global aerospace and defense company that offers a broad portfolio of products and services in business aviation; ship construction and repair; land combat vehicles, weapons systems and munitions; and technology products and services. General Dynamics employs more than 110,000 people worldwide and generated $47.7 billion in revenue in 2024. More information is available at View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE General Dynamics Electric Boat Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's the 'blue economy'? RI turns to the ocean for next wave of economic development
Almost everybody knows that General Dynamics Electric Boat makes nuclear submarines at its Quonset Point shipyard on the shores of Narragansett Bay, but Rhode Island waters are also home to a burgeoning "blue economy," as local companies build state-of-the-art marine products. "From cutting-edge research and development in pharmaceuticals to advancements in renewable energy, addressing sea level rise, and strengthening our defense industry, the blue economy is driving innovation, creating jobs and building a more resilient and prosperous future,' Commerce Secretary Liz Tanner said when announcing tax incentives in December for a company that plans to build autonomous undersea vehicles in Bristol. Tanner's Commerce Department is full steam ahead trying to attract such companies. "Boasting nearly 400 miles of coastline, Rhode Island is known as The Ocean State for a reason," says a department brochure aimed at persuading companies to relocate or expand in Rhode Island. "Our strategic location, port infrastructure, skilled labor, and novel training programs supplying the workers of the future make Rhode Island an ideal location for growing blue-economy companies in off-shore wind energy, defense, shipbuilding, aquaculture & seafood, and more." And companies are responding. From vehicles that transport people on or above the water to submarines that operate with no people on board, from offshore wind power to top-secret weapons and guidance systems, Rhode Island companies are making a splash in the rapidly growing blue economy. Rhode Island has become such a player in the blue economy that it's hosting the two-day Blue Innovation Symposium, which bills itself as "New England's Premier Marine Technology Event," beginning Tuesday, with tours of blue economy sites in Bristol and North Kingstown the day before. Here's a look at some of what else is happening on − and under − the Ocean State's waters: A lot of what MIKEL makes, the Middletown company won't tell you much about because of the hush-hush military applications of its technology. Three years ago, the company let a few details slip about its efforts to develop a GPS-like guidance system for submarines. Four months ago, the Navy announced a $14 million contract for the company to help develop advancements in torpedo technology. The five-year contract will allow MIKEL to provide research, development and analysis focused on signal processing, classification and tracking algorithms for torpedoes. In December, Saab received nearly $4 million in state incentives for a new factory in Bristol where it will build and test autonomous undersea vehicles, often called drone submarines. The company, which already has a facility in Cranston, will produce small- and medium-sized vehicles. Saab shares a corporate history with the automobile brand of the same name, but they are now independent companies. Saab's Bristol factory will be the anchor tenant in Unity Park, a historical industrial park that is being reenvisioned as a "blue-economy hub." The park is already home to several businesses. Already in Unity Park, Flux Marine makes electric outboard motors. Like the Tesla of the boating world, Flux Marine's engines are quiet and emission-free and accelerate more quickly than their gas-powered counterparts. Also in Unity Park, Sealegs sells and services amphibious rigid inflatable boats that can transform from watercraft to vehicles capable of driving on dry land. Late last month, REGENT Craft broke ground on a 255,000-square-foot factory to build seagliders, airplane-like craft that fly 30 to 60 feet above the water. The all-electric passenger seagliders are meant to replace ferries, helicopters and traditional planes for short-haul sea transportation. They offer the speed of an airplane but cost as much as a boat to operate and produce zero emissions. 'Not only will this make Rhode Island the manufacturing capital of seagliders in the U.S.," company co-founder and chief executive Billy Thalheimer told the Commerce Department board when it approved $4 million in incentives for the factory, "it will also continue the state's leadership in composites manufacturing and the blue economy.' In June, Anduril, a company that builds autonomous submarines the size of Volkswagen buses, announced that, after a nationwide search, it had selected a site in Quonset Point to build a factory, with plans to open it this September. Although the company has commercial customers, such as companies that perform deep-sea inspections, the majority of its work is for the defense departments of the United States and its allies, spokesman Jackson Lingane said after the Commerce Department board approved $5.4 million in tax incentives. The primary mission of vehicles to be built in Rhode Island will be intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, Lingane said. In August, state officials welcomed underwater cable manufacturer Nexans to the Cambridge Innovation Center in Providence, where the company joined more than 30 other offshore wind companies with offices in the center. As wind farms are under construction in the waters near Rhode Island, state officials hailed a growing cluster of wind-power companies in the Ocean State. 'Companies from around the world are taking notice of what's happening in Rhode Island, choosing to land offshore wind operations in Providence,' Tanner said when Nexans opened its offices. Nexans supplies cables that transfer electricity from offshore turbines to the land-based power infrastructure. It's hard to look at Rhode Island's place in the blue economy and not see the role the Navy plays. Two entities − the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, the Navy's submarine research and development laboratory, and General Dynamics Electric Boat, builder of the nation's nuclear submarine force, are global leaders. "Rhode Island is a very big player," said Molly Donohue Magee, chief executive of SENEDIA, a defense industry group for Southern New England. "A lot of ocean tech, undersea tech is related to submarines." The Rhode Island defense industry cluster that grew up around submarine building, coupled with research at the University of Rhode Island Graduate School of Oceanography, prime Rhode Island to stand out in the blue economy, even outside the defense sector. Magee said that workforce development programs targeted at supporting the submarine industry also cultivate job skills that can transfer to the broader blue economy. "There's a lot of dual-use application for technology that's developed for undersea," she said. "Rhode Island is the Ocean State," Magee observed, adding that it only follows "that we are a key to ocean and undersea tech." This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: 'Blue economy' is driving innovation in RI, from subs to seagliders
