ASC becomes warship design authority
ASC Pty Ltd, formerly known as Australian Submarine Corporation, has been recognised as Australia's only shipbuilder that is also a warship technical design authority through its latest designer scorecard.
The score is a measure of a number of criteria as determined by representatives of General Dynamics Electric Boat, ASC's capability partner, and the US Navy as competencies required by a capable warship designer.
ASC's achievement of its warship 'designer' status is the credibility basis for ASC's submarine and shipbuilding business going forward, and will underpin the value of ASC in the future, the company says.
Greg Tunny, Managing Director of ASC, said the achievement follows more than two years of hard work, monthly assessments, doubling engineering staff numbers and revamping ASC's engineering processes and procedures.
"ASC now has an engineering organisation with the size, depth, breadth and experience to be a capable warship designer," said Mr Tunny. "This achievement recognises ASC's institutionalised processes and procedures, and the rigour to follow them, which is paramount in the ongoing provision of quality products to the Royal Australian Navy."
ASC's 'designer' status also recognises the company's effective program management capabilities, which ensure an ongoing positive relationship with its customer for accurate forecasting of Defence requirements.
"The benefits this milestone brings to ASC's business practices and its customer outcomes are numerous," said Mr Tunny. "Most importantly, ASC is now formally recognised as having a repository of people with all the skills required to competently handle any significant submarine or shipbuilding requirement."
ASC achieved its 'transition to designer' target of 75 percent by achieving 75.6 percent in its latest assessment. To achieve 80 percent, ASC must perform all aspects of its business very well; to achieve 100 percent, ASC must perform all aspects of its business very well over a long period of time.
In light of ASC's 18-year involvement with the submarine program, and given that ASC has not performed many aspects of its business for an extended period of time, a score of 75.6 percent is a tremendous effort.
ASC is the first and only naval shipbuilder in the country to be designated design authority for a warship.
This is a huge milestone for ASC given that the company took on the Collins-class submarine 'designer' role only three years ago and had a number of pressing priorities during the transition to this achievement, most significantly ASC's shift to through-life support business practices.
The benefits this milestone brings to ASC's business practices and its customer outcomes are three fold:
* ASC is now recognised as having an engineering organisation with the size, depth, breadth and experience to play the role of designer for any significant submarine or shipbuilding requirement
* ASC is now recognised as having institutionalised processes and procedures, and rigour to follow them, which is paramount in the ongoing provision of a quality product to ASC's customer
* ASC is now recognised for its effective program management capabilities, which ensure an ongoing positive relationship with the customer for accurate forecasting of Defence requirements and ultimately deliver agreed outcomes.