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Page 13: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (October 2011)
Marine Design Annual
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October 2011www.marinelink.com 13cess information, with Blackberries andPDAs ? you can receive and view so much information that you never have to be out of touch. The speed and the accu- racy is just phenomenal. If you are successful in your bid for the contract via National Shipbuild- ing Procurement Strategy, how will Irving Shipbuilding change? We?ve been careful to ensure that all of the work that we?re doing, all the processes we?ve implemented are scala- ble, scalable to be able to implement thenew work. Most visibly you will see the physical plant change. The Ultra Hall that we are proposing will be visible fromoutside the gate; there will be physical changes that anyone driving down Bar- rington Street will notice easily. I think one of the other changes we will have will be in our workforce. We will have that long-term future, the feeling of hav- ing a sustainable future, and our work- force will feel confident making the investment in homes, cars and other big purchases.What is the importance of this con-tract to the Halifax Maritime Clusteras a whole?The economic impact is going to benefit everything, from the educational systems, to our partnership with the Halifax Ma- rine Research Institute, which has a very broad, pan-Canadian approach to helpingthe overall marine industry. Our winning this will have a benefit across Canada our extensive web of suppliers. It?s not just the hardware business of building the ship that will benefit. Our supply base runs deep, and includes everything from taxis and caterers all the way up to steel suppliers and equipment suppliers. It?s a very broad range of direct suppliers that we have. What else do you see as key drivers for the shipbuilding business going forward? The East Coast offshore business is a big sector that we are continually looking at,as we have built five offshore supply ships for the East Coast offshore, and have completed a number major over- hauls of rigs, and built platforms. That?s not only a big driver for us, but for the economy in general. ) ( ' ( &