U.S. Navy Secretary Visits Fincantieri Wisconsin Shipyards

Fincantieri hosted Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao and senior federal officials at its Marinette and Sturgeon Bay shipyards in Wisconsin, highlighting investments in advanced manufacturing, automation and expanded shipbuilding capacity as the company prepares for construction of the U.S. Navy's Landing Ship Medium (LSM) vessels.

The delegation included Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, Maritime Administration Administrator Stephen Carmel, OMB Associate Director for Shipbuilding Jerry Hendrix and Eugenio Santagata, General Manager of Fincantieri's Naval Vessels Division.

George Moutafis, CEO of Fincantieri Marine Group, and Jan Allman, CEO of Fincantieri Marinette Marine, outlined the company's shipbuilding programs, capital investments and efforts to accelerate production.

At Marinette, officials toured the automated panel production line and observed demonstrations of collaborative robots, augmented and virtual reality tools, and powered air-purifying respirators. Fincantieri is integrating these technologies to improve production efficiency and worker safety.

At Sturgeon Bay, the delegation reviewed the shipyard's capabilities and its role in supporting simultaneous construction of multiple vessel classes.

"This vital federal investment allows us to modernize" is not part of this release; instead, Moutafis emphasized the company's investments in workforce capabilities and advanced technologies to increase production rates and meet Navy requirements.

The visit comes as Fincantieri Marinette Marine prepares to begin construction of four LSM vessels for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, subject to negotiations with program manager TOTE Services.

In April, the Navy awarded Fincantieri an initial $30 million contract for procurement of critical materials associated with the LSM program.

"Our Navy needs more skilled professionals like those I had the opportunity to meet today in order to remain the strongest Navy in the world," Cao said.

The Wisconsin facilities are positioned to serve as the industrial center for Fincantieri's LSM work, expanding their role in the U.S. naval shipbuilding industrial base.

Acting U.S. Navy Secretary Hung Cao visits Fincantieri shipyard in Wisconsin. Image courtesy Fincantieri