Podcast with Ingalls Shipbuilding President on People, Performance and Partnerships

HII Executive Vice President and Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Blanchette recently joined Chris Cavas and Chris Servello for a special edition of the CavasShips Podcast. The conversation followed the reporters’ Gulf Coast shipyard August visit, where they saw firsthand the pace, scale and momentum of work underway at Ingalls Shipbuilding’s facility and discussed how the company is increasing throughput to meet growing demand across the U.S. maritime industrial base.

 In the podcast, reporters described Ingalls as operating at a level of activity they haven’t seen in years, with multiple ship classes in production and major investments visible across the shipyard. Blanchette noted more than $1 billion invested since 2015, including expanded covered production space, advanced automation, a 70,000‑ton dry dock and other upgrades designed to improve efficiency and production flow; and pointed out that Ingalls will deliver three ships over the next 12 months.  Despite the amount of workload the reporters witnessed, Blanchette emphasized that Ingalls still has room to grow, outlining a capacity strategy focused on people, performance and partnerships. Highlights included:

People: Skilled shipbuilders remain central to Ingalls’ ability to increase production. Ingalls continues to strengthen its workforce through apprenticeship programs, new training pipelines and a recent five‑year collective bargaining agreement that included an immediate 18% wage increase. Blanchette highlighted that competitive wages, long-term career opportunities and the meaningful nature of building ships for the U.S. Navy are all critical to attracting and retaining the skilled workforce required to support sustained demand.

Performance: The reporters saw several technology investments during their visit, including the shipyard’s automated panel line and other advanced manufacturing capabilities. Blanchette described ongoing efforts to introduce additional automation into the production process, citing a recent pilot programs with semi‑automated intelligent welding to help shipbuilders work more efficiently. Serial production also plays a critical role. Building successive ships within mature programs allows teams to apply lessons learned from one hull to the next, improving efficiency and performance over time.

Partnerships: Distributed shipbuilding was another major focus of the conversation. Ingalls is working with qualified partners to produce structural units outside the Pascagoula labor market  and then transport them to the shipyard for final integration. DDG 135 was highlighted as a recent example, with units produced by distributed shipbuilding partners already erected onsite.

 Ultimately, the conversation reinforced what the reporters saw across the Gulf Coast: Ingalls is operating at a high tempo today while continuing to invest in the workforce, technology and partnerships required to meet the nation’s long-term shipbuilding needs.