Benchmarking

Benchmarking of Mid-Tier U.S. Shipyards (2007)

This report presents First Marine International’s findings from its benchmarking of mid-tier U.S. shipyards. The principal output is a list of proposed actions for individual shipyards, industry as a whole and the Department of Defense that will improve the performance of the U.S. shipbuilding enterprise. In order to make the most efficient use of resources and minimize industry disruption, the study was carried out simultaneously with a mid-tier yard capabilities study (see below)ody

Capabilities Study of Mid-Tier U.S. Shipyards (2007)

The Navy ManTech Center of Excellence for Naval Shipbuilding Technology has funded an effort to determine Naval shipbuilding capabilities and use of best practices among mid-tier U.S. shipyards. This report summarizes the findings of the capabilities assessment of seven mid-tier shipyards that are considered to be representative of the industry as a whole.

Global Shipbuilding Industrial Base Benchmarking Study (GSIBBS) - Part I:  Major Shipyards

The report was produced for the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology; Logistics) by the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Industrial Policy) based on benchmarkings conducted by First Marine International, Ltd. of the Big Six U.S. yards and international shipyards and the NSRP's assessment of an efficient set of investments to address the benchmarking findings. (Note: The House Armed Services Committee reviewed a copy of this and included language in the 2006 House Defense Authorization Bill to act on the investment recommendations - termed Shipbuilding Industrial Base Investment Program/Fund.) This report and the appendices can be downloaded from this site.

First Marine International (FMI) Benchmarking Study (2005)

After releasing this report, OSD considered sending the study to Congress to meet the 2005 Defense Authorization Bill requirement for a shipbuilding study that included NSRP. OSD determined that it could not submit the study to Congress with recommendations for funding activities that were not in the budget. They therefore retracted the original report and asked the benchmarking team (FMI) to produce a standalone report. This document does not contain the substance of NSRP's recommended actions.

Shipbuilding Industrial Base Investment Fund (SIBIF)

In response to requests from Navy and OSD, the NSRP developed a national consensus investment strategy to address the findings of the 2005 Benchmarking Study. ODUSD(IP) concurred with these recommendations and included them in their original report, but later removed them (as explained above) and requested NSRP to submit a standalone document suitable for submission to Congress without official endorsement due to the impropriety of recommending a funded activity not already in the President's budget.

Starting in 1999 and completing in September 2000, nine U.S. shipyards were benchmarked by expert teams from U.S. and First Marine International of U.K. The benchmarking endeavor was directed by the NSRP ECB to obtain baseline data for U.S. shipbuilding in 50 specific technology areas. The benchmarking supports the NSRP Strategic Investment Plan desire to establish a means of measuring the impact that the investment in R&D recommended by the SIP has on the U.S. shipbuilding industry during execution of the Plan.  The final Benchmarking Report is now available.  Click here to download the report in PDF format.

Click here to see our May 19, 1999 press release announcing the commencement of the benchmarking.

International Shipbuilding Technology Benchmarking

As was done in benchmarking the U.S. shipbuilding industry, the Asian and European benchmarking teams rated the practices employed in some fifty elements of shipyard activity that have been shown to have an impact on overall performance.

The Benchmarking reports are now available in PDF format.  

Supply Chain Benchmarking

To complement the completed Shipbuilding Technology benchmarking program, the ECB commissioned a Supply Chain Management benchmarking study for the Shipbuilding Industry in support of the NSRP ASE Business Process Technologies Sourcing and Supplier Integration sub-initiative.

This project is designed to enable each participating company to evaluate it's processes and activities in Supply Chain Management against each other companies in the shipbuilding industry as well as other successful industries. The aggregate results of the study are available to the industry. (Individual company responses will be kept in confidence.) Click here to download the report in PDF format.

A follow-on benchmarking study was conducted on purchasing and purchasing related activities for the shipbuilding industry. Eleven shipyards participated including two international shipyards. This study was based on calendar 2002 performance data and includes a comparison of the 2000 and 2002 results for certain benchmarks recorded in both years. Approved for public release. Click here to download the Final Study Report in PDF format.

Last update: 4/2/08