Building Giants: The Modern Shipyard as a High-Tech Factory for the Seas
GTMI Lunch and Learn Lecture Series: David Singer, University of Michigan
David Singer
Professor, Undergraduate Program Chair, ABET Coordinator
University of Michigan, Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering
Monday, September 8
12 – 1 p.m.
Location: Callaway/GTMI bldg.,
Room 114
Lunch provided for in-person attendees on a first come first serve basis.
If you can’t join us in-person, just us virtually via Zoom.
Whether you are joining us virtually or in person, please register here prior to attending.
Abstract: While often perceived through a traditional lens, the modern shipyard is a deeply complex, advanced manufacturing ecosystem. This lecture will reframe the shipyard as a high-tech factory tasked with producing one of the largest and most sophisticated products on Earth. We will examine how shipbuilders confront the immense scale and complexity of vessels, functioning simultaneously as mobile power plants, hotels, and industrial facilities, and, in the case of naval platforms, as sovereign territory and forward-deployed combat systems, by harnessing advanced digital tools and cutting-edge production methodologies. Key topics will include the central role of the digital twin in driving design and fabrication, the efficiency of modular block construction and pre-outfitting, and the targeted application of robotics and automation for welding, cutting, and assembly. The presentation will provide manufacturing professionals with a comprehensive overview of the unique challenges and innovative solutions that define state-of-the-art shipbuilding and ship repair today.
Bio: Dr. David Singer is a Professor in the Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering at the University of Michigan. He serves as the undergraduate program chair and oversees the Advanced Naval Concepts Research Laboratory. Dr. Singer previously served on the Department of the Navy’s Science and Technology Board, where he supported Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) Carlos Del Toro as the executive secretary of the Additive Manufacturing study and contributed to the Ship Maintenance & Repair working group. Recently, he was appointed as the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Professor of Ship Production Science. His research focuses on naval ship and ship systems design, design theory, design optimization, and naval ship production.
Dr. Singer is an expert in Set-Based Design (SBD) applied to naval design. As a critical member of the Navy’s Ship-to-Shore Connector (SSC) program during its preliminary design, he educated the design team on SBD theory. He managed the SBD process within the overall design effort. The SSC program was the first use of SBD in a Navy design acquisition program. Dr. Singer has led the institutionalization of SBD across the entire naval enterprise through SBD research, technical manuals, and naval SBD training courses. Dr. Singer has supported the execution of SBD on many high-profile Navy programs such as the Navy’s SSN(X), CG(X), and DDG(X) programs, DARPA’s surface ship autonomy ACTUV and NOMARS programs, and DARPA’s Liberty Lifter seaplane concept.
Dr. Singer has published over 100 peer-reviewed articles, served as the editor of the Journal of Ship Production and Design, and was a member of the NATO Research and Technology Organization (RTO) Applied Vehicle Technology (AVT) Panels AVT-ET-132 and AVT-RTG-238. Additionally, working with SECNAV Donald Winter, Dr. Singer delivered a series of naval design and ship production lectures as part of the 2018, 2019, and 2022 Naval Ship Acquisition Short Course for senior executive Australian public servants and military personnel.
Dr. Singer obtained a BSE degree in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, an M.Eng. degree in Concurrent Marine Design, an MSE degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering, and a Ph.D. in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, all at the University of Michigan. He is a fellow of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. In addition, he won the American Society of Naval Engineers Solberg Award and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award. Before his academic career, Dr. Singer was a special project manager at Plastipak Packaging, Inc., responsible for establishing a global supervisory control and data acquisition production system, plant turnarounds, and efficiency improvements.