Process
With in-house naval architecture and engineering capabilities and a
cross-trained workforce, Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding, Duclos Corporation,
is well-known for applying some of the most advanced shipbuilding
techniques that rival many bigger yards, while still providing the personal customer service of a smaller yard. The operation includes in-house
advanced inventory control, cost controls and accounting systems, along
with advanced manufacturing and designed processes, such as in-house
plasma cutting and 3-D modeling. These capabilities allow the yard to properly think through and plan for complex one-off projects long before they reach the shop floor, while still meeting customer expectations. This unique combination of ingenuity and technology is evidenced by Gladding-Hearn’s use of Zone Outfit Logic Technology (ZOLT), which enables teams of ship-fitters, welders and outfitters to build and complete modules of vessels from the inside out, thus increasing efficiency and yielding better control over production and costs.
“They take our input on what works well and what didn’t and incorporates this to improve the next design. If they can improve on it they’ll find a way.”
Tim McGill
Vice President
St. John’s Bar Pilots
Advancing shipbuilding techniques doesn’t end when your boat is launched, however. Every Gladding-Hearn vessel is backed 100 percent and performance is guaranteed, a reflection of the philosophy that nothing leaves this yard unless it’s right.
