On the frontlines of digital transformation

A hundred and thirty three years--that's how long Virginia-based Newport News Shipbuilding has been in the business of manufacturing ships. As the sole developer of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, the company has constructed more than 30 warships, including the world's first and largest nuclear-powered carrier, which weighs 100,000 tons and comprises 300 million parts. Traditionally, building a ship like this might require 30 million to 40 million man-hours. Digital transformation has upended the ship building business, said Bharat Amin, VP and chief information officer at Newport News Shipbuilding, on stage at Siemens' Spotlight on Innovation, an annual technology conference held recently in Orlando. "You hear about smart cities, we want to be a smart shipyard," Amin told the audience.