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ATI wins contract to bring a shipbuilding research center to North Charleston

Submitted by: John Warner on Jul 11, 2003 at 5:00 am Tagged with: General Archives Source:

ATI wins contract to bring a shipbuilding research center to North Charleston

Advanced Technology Institute has received a five-year, $17.5 million contract from the Navy to bring a shipbuilding research center to North Charleston.

The Shipbuilding Technology Center of Excellence is now in New Orleans.

The Navy builds seven ships a year, a rate that would give it a fleet of 250 when it needs 375, said Rick Self, vice president of Advanced Technology. The research center will try to boost that rate.

Advanced Technology, based in North Charleston, is a nonprofit that manages collaborative research and development efforts between private industry, the government and universities.

The company has extensive shipbuilding experience. For the past five years, it has been running an $80 million Navy contract that works between 11 private shipyards and the Navy to improve manufacturing processes.

That experience helped Advanced Technology win this contract, which the Navy puts out for competitive bid every five years.

from: charleston-for-business.com