Shipbuilding Operations: Digital Transformation Expertise for Complex Assembly

We're not generic consultants learning shipyard operations on your dime. Our teams blend 15-20 years of experience managing complex assembly, configuration control, and defense compliance with senior IFS and software specialists. We understood waterfront operations before we ever implemented a system.

30-minute call with someone who understands waterfront operations.

  • 200+

    Employees

  • 22 years

    In A&D programs

  • ITAR/EAR

    Compliant

  • ISO 9001

    + AS9100D certified

  • NIST

    SP 800-171 aligned

  • 2026

    IFS Customer's Choice Award (A&D)

Billion-Dollar Vessels, Siloed Systems

You're managing the construction of billion-dollar vessels with siloed systems that can't handle the process integration, complexity and magnitude of simultaneous construction of multiple ships/classes each in a stage of the lifecycle.

Between 55% and 75% of ERP implementations fail to meet their original objectives, with discrete manufacturing experiencing failure rates as high as 73%. For shipbuilding specifically, failure costs run 2-3 times more than other industries due to compliance overhead, extended program cycles, and strict contract terms.

The primary culprit? Poor data migration, which accounts for 38% of all ERP failures.

  • 73%

    Failure Rate in Manufacturing

  • 38%

    Data Migration, #1 Cause

  • 80%

    Supply Chain Issues from Sub-Tier

  • 62%

    Lack Governance Controls

Generic ERP consultants without shipbuilding domain knowledge struggle with the unique demands of naval and commercial shipbuilding. They don't understand the complexity of managing thousands of components across multi-year build cycles. They can't configure systems to handle ITAR export controls, NIST SP 800-171 requirements, or AS9100 traceability for defense contracts. They don't know how to manage configuration baselines for vessels with 30+ year lifecycles.

The result? Critical schedule milestones are missed, and cost adversely impacted because the ERP system cannot handle the shipyard reality. In addition failed DOD audits trigger contract penalties adding to the program cost pressure.

Fragmented Systems, Complex Assemblies

Shipyards currently operate with fragmented legacy systems where Engineering, Manufacturing, and Procurement don't communicate effectively.

Where You Are Today

Where Industry Leaders Operate

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See how we've closed this gap for shipyards →

What This Costs You

  1. 1

    When Engineering releases a design change and the production floor doesn't get the update for weeks,

    that's rework. Hot work on the production floor. Increased errors on the waterfront. A program delay that triggers penalty clauses in your Navy contract. To properly price the Class 1 engineering Change order, complete material availability assessment is critical to understanding and validating true impacts to production.

  2. 2

    When your supply chain visibility ends at tier-1,

    you don't know a tier-3 supplier has material shortages until it's too late. Material delays, even by days, cause work to halt and create cascading delays in subsequent tasks.

  3. 3

    When auditors ask for proof of NIST SP 800-171 aligned controls and you're assembling evidence from spreadsheets,

    that's millions at risk.

The Integrated Shipyard

Leading shipyards are moving toward fully integrated digital ecosystems that connect design, manufacturing, and sustainment operations.

  • The Digital Thread

    A seamless flow of data from initial requirements through design, manufacturing, testing, and into sustainment. When Engineering makes a change, Manufacturing sees it immediately. When a component fails during sea trials, Engineering gets the data to improve the design. No gaps. No delays. No rework.

  • Digital Twin for Vessels

    Physics-informed models using sensor and operational data to predict failures, optimize spares, and increase operational availability. Shipyards adopting PLM across the enterprise naturally capture digital thread and digital twin data as a by-product of design, manufacturing, and testing processes.

  • Projects and Assets Together

    Shipbuilding operations benefit from systems that bring projects and assets together, eliminating the gaps created by separate tools for projects, production, and post-delivery support. Modern platforms connect engineering, procurement, project management, logistics, and maintenance in one integrated environment.

  • Automated Compliance Built In

    • ITAR tags on each part in the BOM with isolation through every phase of production
    • NIST SP 800-171 aligned security controls built into the system
    • AS9100 traceability for lot/serial numbers from raw material to finished product

Real-World Outcomes

Organizations implementing modern systems report:

Talk to a Shipbuilding Expert about your program
  • 34%

    increase in assembly speed and zero non-conformance for complex parts

  • 30-50%

    reductions in machine downtime with digital transformation

  • 10-30%

    increases in throughput through integrated manufacturing execution

  • 15-30%

    improvements in labor productivity via connected operations

Why Generic Consultants Fail in Shipbuilding

The failure rate for shipbuilding ERP transformations is exceptionally high. This is rarely a software problem. It's a complexity and expertise problem.

Complex Assembly Management

Shipbuilding involves intricate multi-tiered structures with thousands of components, each with precise specifications requiring detailed, multi-layered BOMs. Generic consultants view this as "just more rows in the database." They don't understand that each component has:

  • Revision control (which version is approved for which hull?)
  • Source control (which suppliers are ITAR-approved?)
  • Configuration control (what's actually installed in Hull 123?)
  • Traceability requirements (lot/serial tracking from raw material to finished vessel)

When consultants don't understand these nuances, they configure the system incorrectly. The system rejects valid parts. Approved suppliers get flagged as non-compliant. Configuration baselines don't match reality. You discover these problems at sea trials, when it's too late.

Long-Lead Procurement Challenges

Shipbuilding requires managing long-lead items with procurement timelines spanning years. Generic consultants don't understand how to configure systems to handle:

  • Multi-year procurement planning (ordering components 18-24 months before installation)
  • Sub-tier supplier management (visibility beyond tier-1 to prevent bottlenecks)
  • ITAR-compliant supplier tracking (ensuring all suppliers meet export control requirements)

When material delays occur, even by days, work halts and creates cascading delays in subsequent tasks. Without proper system configuration, you can't see these delays coming until they've already impacted the schedule.

Security and Compliance Requirements

Shipyards building for the Navy face NIST SP 800-171, ITAR, and AS9100 requirements simultaneously. Generic consultants don't have this expertise.

They can't architect systems that stand up to customer, prime, or third-party security assessments.

Talk to someone who's worked in shipyard environments →

The Burning Platform

Multiple converging forces are making system modernization mandatory for shipbuilders.

  • Ongoing

    Defense programs increasingly require demonstrable protection of CUI aligned to NIST SP 800-171.

  • At bid and award

    Expect requests for evidence: MFA enforcement, least-privilege access, audit logging, encryption, incident response procedures, and documented controls.

  • During execution

    Security requirements are validated through customer oversight, contract clauses, and assessment activity.

The Compliance Reality

If you cannot demonstrate compliance when required by contract, you risk bid ineligibility, award delays, corrective action demands, and withheld work.

  • 37%

    of the Defense Industrial Base will need to demonstrate NIST SP 800-171 aligned protection of CUI

  • 62%

    of defense contractors operate without comprehensive governance controls

  • 50%

    of today's DoD contractors would not be compliant if truly enforced

Workforce Pressure

Over 29% of the aerospace and defense workforce is over age 55.

When experienced workers retire and take decades of institutional knowledge with them, you need systems that enforce the rules. Not systems that rely on someone knowing the workaround.

Request a NIST SP 800-171 Readiness Assessment →

We implement and operationalize NIST SP 800-171 aligned controls for CUI, including access control, audit logging, incident response readiness, and encryption. We configure solutions to meet defense security expectations and stand up to customer, prime, and independent assessments.

Shipbuilding Experts Who Deliver the Full Stack

We implement enterprise platforms when needed, but we are not platform-limited. We bring 20+ years of shipbuilding and naval maintenance experience to ensure your transformation actually works on the waterfront.

What Makes Tsunami Different

Teams built for complex, regulated assembly environments. Not generic consultants.

  • Shipbuilders, shipyard veterans, and naval maintenance practitioners.

    Our teams blend former leadership in operations from complex, regulated environments with senior IFS and software specialists. That includes shipbuilders, shipyard veterans, MRO maintenance leaders, fleet and reliability experts, OEM sustainment veterans, and naval maintenance practitioners. We understand configuration control, technical records, and audit readiness because we've experienced the operational consequences, not just documented them.

  • No 3-month onboarding waste.

    When you hire a generic consultant, you spend the first 3 months teaching them your business. We understand configuration management, long-lead procurement, and waterfront operations from day one.

  • NIST SP 800-171 and CUI protection expertise.

    We implement and operationalize NIST SP 800-171 aligned controls for CUI, including access control, audit logging, incident response readiness, and encryption. We configure solutions to meet defense security expectations and stand up to customer, prime, and independent assessments.

  • ITAR and export control experience.

    We know how to tag ITAR-sensitive items in the BOM, isolate and monitor them through production, and ensure data doesn't flow across borders inappropriately.

  • Compliance traceability built in.

    We configure systems to track lot/serial numbers from raw material to finished vessel, maintain configuration baselines at critical lifecycle points, and generate one-click audit reports.

  • Audit-ready quality discipline (ORCA).

    We execute defense work under ORCA (Operational Reliability & Continual Advancement), our Quality Management Program. Verification and acceptance gates, early variance detection, documented evidence, and corrective action discipline that holds up under customer and prime oversight.

  • WAVES methodology: data migration without the nightmare.

    Our proprietary WAVES methodology (Wash, Analyze, Verify, Enhance, Store) eliminates the load-error-fix-load cycle. Second fleet migrations complete 30% faster with fewer resources.

  • ITAR/EAR
  • DDTC
  • ISO 9001 + AS9100D
  • NIST SP 800-171
  • ORCA QMS

Shipbuilding-Specific Capabilities

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Real Shipbuilding Transformations

We bring 20+ years of shipbuilding and naval maintenance experience to ensure your transformation actually works on the waterfront.

View all defense and shipbuilding stories →

Talk to a Shipbuilding Expert

30-minute call with someone who understands waterfront operations.

Frequently Asked Questions

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