Build / Support / Sustain

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Hello all,

Welcome to another edition of On Watch. As you read this, I am not actually at my desk but enjoying a week-long vacation! The team has my back and we’re pleased to have the newsletter out to you even while I take a break.

In this edition we have an interview with Jennifer Busler, from one of our members, Seaspan Shipyards. She will be a keynote speaker at Mari-Tech in April, and you can read a quick preview of the innovation she will be discussing at the conference. We are very pleased to highlight the many innovations of our members. If you are not yet a member, but would like to be, we encourage you to join here! If you know of others who might benefit from membership, please share the sign-up link.

We are very pleased to announce that our job board is now self-serve and far less expensive! You are now able to post opportunities online without having to coordinate it with anyone. And due to that change, we are now able to reduce the cost to $49 per job per month for members and $99 for non-members. Please give it a try and let us know of any feedback. We are here to help. You will find the link here.

If you are reading this for the first time thanks to it being passed along to you, you are welcome to sign up for future editions here –  it’s free and we never share your emails with anyone. We publish our newsletter every two weeks and bring you news, procurement opportunities and features that pertain to our sector. Please take note of our Job Board and a) take advantage of it if your company has an opening and b) send links to friends and family so that we can attract new people into our sector. We all need the help!  

Finally, if you would like to provide us with feedback and input into items you would like to see covered in this newsletter, or if you would like us to create a unique member spotlight of your company, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Colin Cooke

President and CEO

At the upcoming Mari-Tech conference this April 18-20 in lovely downtown Vancouver, Seaspan’s Jennifer Busler will be making a keynote address on marine technology from the perspective of one of Canada’s major shipyards. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jennifer recently and I can confidently say that it’s a presentation that you won’t want to miss! Jennifer has a wealth of knowledge and insights and this small piece can’t begin to capture the breadth of our conversation so I hope to see everyone next month when you can hear the full presentation in person.

CC: Jennifer, you’re new to the marine sector so perhaps you could tell us a little about yourself?

JB: You’re right in that I am just coming up to my 2 year mark with the team at Seaspan. I have a background in astrophysics and spent a sizeable portion of my career at MDA. What’s been very exciting for me is the overlap. Although the equipment might be different at the end of the process, the challenges regarding technologies, materials, IT, etc. are all remarkably consistent across sectors.

CC: And what is your position at Seaspan?

JB: My title is Manager, Innovation and I lead a team of 8 full-time employees plus 4 interns. I am very fortunate to work with some true subject experts and we also have the opportunity to regularly engage interns – yes they are paid positions! – which is a win-win for us as we get fresh insights and ideas from them while they get to see just how exciting the world of shipbuilding can be. It’s an amazing job and it goes without saying that there is always a new opportunity and challenge for me and my team.

CC: So it sounds like a very wide-ranging remit. How do you describe what you and your team are doing?

JB: Yes, it is broad for sure, but that’s the nature of shipbuilding in the 21^st century. Building ships that may be in use for 50 years demands that the yard and its partners try to look decades down the road to ensure that, as much as possible, we are allowing for the changes that are to come. I describe our work as being in 4 strategic technology areas:

1. Digital technologies: this encompasses so much, from digital twins, to information management systems, to IOT data, to data mining for a multitude of reasons – the list is seemingly endless;

2. Green technologies: decarbonization, energy systems, propulsion, waste systems and so on;

3. Autonomy: the entire world of autonomous systems which is of course tied to digital for communications, connectivity, data flow, etc;

4. And last but certainly not least, manufacturing. We are a shipyard after all and so advances in welding, metallurgy, 3D printing ashore and onboard, etc. etc. etc.

To many people, shipbuilding is simply welding a bit of steel together, sticking an engine in the hull and off you go. It is so much more than that in every department and it’s such an exciting industry to be part of.

CC: Not a job where you could possibly get bored! Without stealing any of the key ideas from your presentation, do you have some final thoughts for us today that we can ponder in advance of the conference?

JB: Perhaps I would close by simply underlining just how interesting, no, exciting it is to be in the shipbuilding business right now. Thanks to the National Shipbuilding Strategy, Canada has been able to reinvent the industry in our country essentially from scratch. We have been able to look around the world and, as well as at other sectors such as aerospace and automotive, apply the lessons learned, and build for the future. Working together, our sector can leap forward by deploying this new thinking and new technology to build world-class vessels for Canada and beyond.

CC: Thank you for your time Jennifer – I am very much looking forward to your presentation at Mari-Tech next month!

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