NEWPORT NEWS, Va., June 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries' (NYSE:HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division broke ground today for the shipyard's new Joint Manufacturing Assembly Facility (JMAF), which will support the construction of aircraft carriers and submarines.
The first phases of the facility, opening in 2017, will feature production bays to improve construction efficiencies under current contracts for the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier and Virginia-class submarine programs.
"We aren't just breaking ground on a new facility, we're breaking the mold on how we build aircraft carriers and submarines," Newport News Shipbuilding President Matt Mulherin said, explaining how the JMAF will bring work indoors, providing better quality of life for shipbuilders. "The improvements will increase productivity and efficiency, all while driving down overall cost and ensuring schedule performance."
The facility will feature multiple worksites, advanced technology, automated equipment, heavyweight cranes, large transportation doors and specialty paint bays. The facility will support current and future production work on aircraft carriers and submarines.
"I'm excited about the addition of the Joint Manufacturing Assembly Facility," said Newport News Vice Mayor Robert S. Coleman. "This facility will allow us to retain significant high-paying jobs in Newport News in the future and will allow future generations to know that the greatest ships the world has ever known were built right here in Newport News."
Photos accompanying this release are available at: http://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/releases/jmaf-groundbreaking.
Huntington Ingalls Industries is America's largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of engineering, manufacturing and management services to the nuclear energy, oil and gas markets. For more than a century, HII's Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs approximately 38,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit:
- HII on the web: www.huntingtoningalls.com
- HII on Facebook: www.facebook.com/HuntingtonIngallsIndustries
- HII on Twitter: twitter.com/hiindustries