Naval Group
Direction des Constructions Navales Services
As an international high-tech company, Naval Group designs, produces and supports submarines and surface ships. The group also provides services for naval shipyards and bases. In addition, the group offers a wide range of marine renewable energy solutions.
Naval Group and Fincantieri welcome the 27 September 2017 decision of the French and Italian governments to launch a joint process paving the way for the future creation of a progressive alliance in the naval defence sector. The two groups will play a key role in the steering committee that will be launched within the next few days with the objective to define by June 2018 a roadmap detailing the principles of the future alliance. Furthermore, the agreement reached today by the two Governments on the shareholding structure of STX France foreseeing the presence of both Naval Group and Fincantieri represents a first important step and an opportunity to go forward in naval cooperation.
Naval Group CEO Hervé Guillou and Fincantieri CEO Giuseppe Bono declared: “Our two groups have already successfully cooperated on the Horizon and FREMM frigates programs and we look forward to achieving together our European ambition while serving our international development on a growing competitive naval defence market and continuing to support the Italian and French navies.”
Fincantieri and Naval Group worked intensively since this date and submitted their proposal for such an Alliance in July 2018 to the competent French and Italian Ministers, encompassing an industrial project and its envisaged roadmap, along with a description of the key initiatives, which they propose to launch rapidly.
Acknowledging the declaration of support by the French and Italian governments, and subject to each company’s Boards of Directors’ approval, Fincantieri and Naval Group are ready to concretely launch the Alliance in particular with the aim of setting forth the terms and conditions for the incorporation of a 50/50 joint venture. The establishment of this JV represents a first step towards the creation of the Alliance.
Through this joint venture, Fincantieri and Naval Group intend :
- to jointly prepare winning offers for binational programs and export market;to foster a more efficient supply policy (cross-sourcing, best value for money, scale effect, etc.);
- to jointly conduct selected research and innovation activities aiming at providing operational superiority to customers;
- to encourage cross-fertilization between the two companies, with sharing of testing facilities/tools and expertise networks.
Naval Group and Fincantieri have already engaged in a common industrial collaboration to provide the French Navy with four logistic support ships (LSS), based on the design of the Italian Vulcano LSS. Furthermore, as of 2019 and with the support of both Ministries of Defense, Naval Group and Fincantieri contemplate to present a common offer for the first studies for the Mid-Life Upgrade of the French and Italian Horizon-class destroyers with a common Combat Management System (CMS).
The DCNS group (formerly Direction des Constructions Navales and Direction Technique des Constructions Navales) is Europe’s leading player on the world market for naval defence systems. The DCNS Group employs 13,000 people and generates annual revenues of around €3 billion.
To meet customer demands for more comprehensive and integrated systems,DCNS acts as prime contractor for naval shipbuilding, integration and support by combining its own development, marketing and production capabilities with those of selected partners. To manage the complexity of such projects, DCNS draws on in-house expertise in naval architecture, systems engineering, ship assembly and integration and equipment design and production as well as through-life support.
| 2006 | Swordship |
| 2008 | FM400 |
| 2010 | Surface Conceptship |
| 2014 | XWIND 4000 |
| 2016 | [email protected]® |
| SMX - Sous-Marine Experimental | |
Today, DCNS is a dynamic stand-alone company with the legal status of a public limited company (or société anonyme) under French law. While constantly expanding their expertise and introducing innovations, DCNS teams daily demonstrate their commitment to customer-focused solutions meeting ‘strict minimum’ needs. This approach has made DCNS a world leader in integrated warships, from design concept to construction and through-life support.
In late March 2007, following the approval of the European Commission’s Competition Authority and France’s Holdings and Transfers Committee (Commission des Participations et des Transferts), DCNS acquired Thales Naval France’s naval businesses (with the exception of its equipment businesses), along with its interests in Armaris and their subsidiaries while Thales acquired a 25% interest in the new group, leaving the French State with 75%. French defense contractor Thales has an option to increase its stake by 10%). The Convergence of DCN and Thales and the resulting regrouping of their French naval activities under the DCNS banner ushered in a new era.
DCN of France became DCNS after DCN acquired all of Thales French naval business while Thales acquired a stake in DCN with the newly-merged company known as DCNS. On 29 March 2007 the Convergence project to regroup the French naval activities of DCN and Thales under the DCNS banner came into effect. Given the scale of the project, it took several months to get an agreement on industrial, commercial, human and policy clauses. But now the deal has been done and the French naval defence industry has been consolidated. As the regrouping entity, DCNS has strengthened its hold on sector-wide European leadership and its capabilities in comprehensive solutions for customers all over the world.
On 3 April 2007, DCN formally changed its name to DCNS. The accompanying change of identity reflects the Group’s renewed dynamism and focus on innovation following the ‘convergence’ of DCN, Thales Naval France (TNF), Armaris and their respective subsidiaries. It also promotes the simple yet powerful idea of a Group positioned to win new business on international markets and play a leading role in reshaping Europe’s naval defence industry.
Guided by a proud heritage, an evolutionary name change, revamped visual identity and new slogan combine to set sights firmly on the future. The extra -‘S’ is intended to discourage the tendency to assign a specific meaning to each letter. The four-letter format is also in line with the brand logic adopted by European defence groups like EADS, TKMS and MBDA. In addition to symbolising our expertise in systems and services, the final -‘S’ does puts a seal on the integration of the Thales and Armaris teams that joined as part of the Convergence project.
On a global scale, the military naval sector alone represents around 40 billion dollars, corresponding to delivieries of defence vessels. The American market is stable and remains the largest, with approximately 12 billion dollars per year. This is followed by India, Australia and the Far East, all on the rise, with figures close to 12 billion dollars, not including future submarine contracts. The China-Russia block is showing strong growth and represents some 8 billion dollars of investments each year.
In Lorient, Naval Group builds and develops surface ships (Frigates, OPVs, etc.) and play a pivotal role in the project to install wind turbines off the island of Groix as part of the consortium EOLFI. NAVAL GROUP has 1,000 employees at the Lorient location.
Naval Group's site in Lorient offers industrial infrastructures that enables meeting the technical and technological challenges of the latest generations of military ships, including a 15,000 m2 covered construction form. The design tools and methods have evolved considerably during the FREMM program. All of the ship's data, including equipment operating data, is integrated into a digital mock-up. The infrastructures have also been modernized, including the extension and renovation of the construction nave, the installation of three covered paint booths and the extension of the quay. Fifty-four months after the start of the production, the FREMM DA Lorraine, the final FREMM built at Naval Group’s Lorient shipyard, left the construction form of Naval Group site in Lorient. The units of the FREMM class were built at a rate of one per year.
Following the launch of its last FREMM, Naval Group will gradually transition towards the FDI program, the next generation of frigates for the French Navy. The first steel-cut ceremony of the first FDI (Defense and Intervention Frigate) took place at the Naval Group shipyard in Lorient in October 2019. The keel laying of the Amiral Ronarc’h frigate (the name of the first FDI) in the covered construction dock is set for November 2021. Meanwhile two Gowind corvettes “intended for the international market” will occupy the construction form in Lorient. These vessels are set to be delivered in late 2022 / early 2023. Naval Group can not disclose the final customer [UAE].
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