Production Facilities
Austal USA’s production facilities, comprising of almost a million square feet of manufacturing floor space, are organized into three main sections:
- Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF)
- Final Assembly
- Vessel Completion Yard
Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF)
The completed Module Manufacturing Facility (MMF) houses a 17-acre, fully-covered, manufacturing facility with two fully commissioned production lines. The facility is supplemented by a 1.7-acre drive-through warehouse for the storage of equipment and materials and parking for over 2,000 employee vehicles in a secure, paved and fenced area.
Throughout the MMF, we use technology to improve our manufacturing standards. Our manufacturing operations begin with Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) router cutters, to cut nested shapes from aluminum plate. Router cutters cut a neat edge, removing the need to de-burr cut parts. The router cutters are complimented by twin gantries allowing for the cutting of two plates simultaneously.
CNC extrusion cutters receive information from our 3D modeling software to cut stiffeners to length and prepare the ends for joining. We make extensive use of complex extrusions to optimize vessel structure, and partner with suppliers to optimize parts for Friction Stir Welding, an automated process that gives higher quality while reducing manual labor.
Our pipe shops feature CNC pipe benders and a tee-forming machine, reducing the quantity of welded fittings used and speeding production.
In addition to aluminum module production, a steel production line has also been added to the MMF. The 117,000 square foot manufacturing addition houses the latest state of the art computerized and robotic steel processing equipment that has been specified to handle all of the current and future demands of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard. A 60,000 square foot stock yard is used to handle the raw steel.The equipment installed in the steel facility includes a plate edge mill, single-sided welder, stiffener fitter/welder, and fully automated robotic welding panel line. Auxiliary equipment includes a T-beam welder, robotic profile cutter, plate and frame forming equipment, and a micro panel line. The new steel production line also includes a 19,500 square foot paint facility, with the ability to paint and blast simultaneously in two separate cells, or combine to be able to paint super-modules.
Final Assembly
The Final Assembly Yard consists of two (134ft x 400ft) assembly bays - Bay 3 and 4, one (135ft x 425ft) bay - Bay 5, and one (90ft x 360ft) bay - Bay 6 for module fabrication/erection and component storage. Each bay is equipped with overhead cranes each capable of lifting 40-ton modules, and the three larger bays include mezzanine levels for shop space, material storage, and small assembly fabrication.
Vessel Completion Yard (VCY)
Austal’s latest expansion project is the Vessel Completion Yard (VCY), a 36-acre secure fenced parcel at the northern tip of Pinto Island. The VCY has a protected 1,000ft long x 300ft wide slip with four wet berths, two on each side of the slip. The reinforced concrete bulkheads surrounding the slip has services for our constructed ships for their completion, trialing and delivery, and provides heavy weather mooring and protection for these ships. The VCY has 1,500 feet of waterfront along the Mobile River along with sufficient space for either storage of large shipyard equipment or any future facilities.
