DCN,
PARIS: Today, DCNS held a central works committee (Comité Central d’Entreprise) meeting chaired by Chairman & CEO Jean-Marie Poimbœuf. The management team outlined the general principles of its proposed industrial policy for the FREMM multimission frigate programme.
In line with the management team's long-proclaimed intentions, priority will be given to the group's own shipyards and facilities. This will be achieved by implementing a creative industrial approach hammered out by management and employee representatives over the last few weeks in the course of extended discussions.
As well as ensuring programme success by meeting the group's cost targets, the proposed solutions will maintain workforce skills. The overall aim is to build 1.7 frigates per year in compliance with the French Navy's schedule, performance and cost targets.
The proposed industrial policy presented this morning ahead of a further central works committee meeting to be held in a few days is based on two principles:
1. Priority to be given to DCNS's own shipyards and facilities. Specifically, the Lorient shipyard will act as the prime frigate building facility with the Brest and Cherbourg yards building most of the forward sections of frigates 2 and 3.
2. Compliance with the customer's ambitious cost targets through flexible and efficient work organisation.
Innovative solutions will enable DCNS to meet the market's rising production and cost expectations. The shift to integrated yards and project teams along with investment in new and upgraded industrial facilities at Brest and Cherbourg will allow the group to implement work standards tailored to programme targets.
“The DCNS social dialogue on FREMM industrial policy is a prime example of creative, open management of a major challenge in economic, industrial and social terms. These talks have resulted in imaginative solutions to meet the programme's cost and performance targets while minimising recourse to outsourcing,” commented Executive Vice President & COO Bernard Planchais.
This new organisation will contribute to the group's continuing growth by making us more competitive while at the same time ensuring improved workload management at our shipyards and preserving workforce skills.
The shipbuilding phase of the FREMM programme got under way in March 2007 when the Lorient yard cut the first plates for the first frigate. The industrial process for the first tranche is on course for first-of-type delivery in 2011. The second-of-type is scheduled for delivery 13 months later and the others at a rate of one every seven months until 2016.
