There is no doubt that Industry 4.0 has driven dramatic changes in the manufacturing of products, machinery, and equipment. Its impact can clearly be seen in many aspects of discrete A&D manufacturing—the creation and assembly of items by components used to manufacture highly complex military platforms such as aircraft is just one example. But the full impact of Industry 4.0 is yet to be felt in military and commercial shipbuilding—where building processes are of a size and scale more similar to a construction project than even the most complex product manufacturing.
Australian Industrial Transformation Institute explained the rationale and motivation for the adoption of Maritime 4.0: “In line with all other forms of manufacturing, Industry 4.0 offers a vision for transformation of the shipbuilding industry through the establishment of ‘Digital Shipyards’ and the adoption of a ‘Shipyard 4.0’ agenda.”
Maritime industry forecasts correlate with this increased digital focus. ResearchAndMarkets data suggests that the digital shipbuilding sector is set to grow quickly over the next few years—from $591 million in 2019 to $2.7 billion by 2027, with an impressive 21.1% compound annual growth rate.
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