Navantia, a public company of SEPI, develops products and services with high added value and is firmly committed to digital transformation and innovation, in an environment that includes close cooperation with Defense / Navy and SEPI, jointly with other technology companies of civil and military origin, agreements and chairs with universities and centers technological, etc. With approximately 4,500 workers, it provides employment opportunities estimated at 27,000 jobs in Spain, as well as subsidiaries in Australia, Arabia and the United Kingdom. Its contribution to the Spanish economy amounted to €1,313 million in 2021 (0.95% of GDP), and it exported 56% of its income (0.17% of Spanish exports).
It is among the leading Spanish companies investing in R + D + i, with more than 71 million euros in 2021, a higher number than the leading technological sectors in Spain, in line with the accelerated technological development in the past 50 years (transition from technology outsourcing to export its technology). The F110 frigate is a prime example of the suite of intelligent (or smart) products and services, being The world’s first ship with a “digital twin”capable of reproducing the ship’s behavior in any type of mission and constantly monitoring the operation of its equipment and systems.
The development of smart services includes technologies such as virtual and augmented reality for remote assistance, or artificial intelligence, which will allow predictive maintenance to evolve. Such is the case with the S80 Submarine Lifecycle Technical Support Office, under STAR programs, such as those previously mentioned, and the many R+D+i projects that focus not only on improving ships in such aspects as cyber security or acoustic markers, but also To adapt facilities to the use of new technologies, such as cloud, artificial intelligence, big data or 5G.
This digitization also applies to production processes and the supply chain, cooperation so that the entire ecosystem advances in the improvement of the final product, in short, in the technological sovereignty of the state. Disruptive technologies that have fostered the creation of six centers of excellence (Navantia CoEx Network) specializing in various areas of the future.
innovation cell
Navantia has just launched the “Monodon” innovation cell to advance research and experimentation with it disruptive technologies (quantum technology, robotics, new materials, nanotechnology and 4D printing) and accelerating their implementation in the company. Early stage technology research and experimentation and collaboration with research centers and start-ups are the core of this new brand, which will be presented at Feindef (it will sponsor the Innova for Def & Sec space).
This open innovation strategy, this driving role, will encourage universities, think tanks, technology centers and start-ups to work together on a technology of mutual interest, in an environment of mixed research units (UMIs), companies, innovation forums and research centres.
Establishing “hubs” with other companies will enhance access to new solutions and connectivity to international networks, as well as expand infrastructures and experimental and demonstration spaces to test technologies in an integrated way.
European cooperation
With regard to European participation, the European Defense Fund has selected six high-tech projects in which Navantia will participate, in consortium with other large companies, small and medium enterprises, universities and European technology centers. Navantia thus strengthens its role as a leader in the Spanish naval and defense sector in the European environment and consolidates its leadership in the main strategic areas of its business, such as the digitization of naval platforms or the development and integration of unmanned vehicles and new generation weapons. Progress is also being made in creating alliances for the cooperative development of combat ships.
Among the projects, the Corvette EPC project stands out, with Naval Group and Fincantieri, to develop the initial design phase of a modular, flexible, green, interoperable and innovative Corvette, and Edinaf, in which Navantia is leading the development of the reference architecture of a digital ship, which will allow to know the state of the platform and optimize its maintenance in all times, in order to advise the crew throughout the life cycle.
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