The Challenge
Japanese shipbuilders have long set the global standard for quality, precision, and reliability. But across the Japanese shipbuilding industry, even the most advanced shipyards are now feeling the strain of legacy 2D tools, disconnected systems, and increasingly complex ship and vessel designs.
For Inamasu Shipbuilding and the Japanese Laboratory of Practical Technology (LPT), these outdated workflows were limiting visibility, slowing engineering changes, and making it harder to maintain control across growing project demands. In a highly competitive global shipbuilding industry that includes heavyweights in South Korea, China, and the United States, Japanese yards needed a smarter way to protect their engineering excellence.
The Solution
To modernize their approach to ship design without disrupting production, LPT and Inamasu adopted advanced 3D modeling technology from SSI.
Rather than abandoning traditional Japanese drafting methods, the team built an early 3D model of the vessel that drives the automatic generation of familiar 2D drawings. This hybrid approach allows Japanese shipbuilders to keep their proven workflows while gaining the accuracy, speed, and data integrity of modern shipbuilding technology.
By synchronizing 3D and 2D in a single model-based environment, Inamasu gained greater control, fewer errors, and improved reliability across engineering and production, all with minimal disruption to the shipyard.
Why It Matters for Japanese Shipyards
As global competition intensifies and ship orders become more complex across the Asia Pacific region, Japanese shipyards must balance tradition with advanced technology. By using 3D to drive 2D, LPT and Inamasu have shown how Japanese shipbuilding can evolve without losing what makes it exceptional: quality, craftsmanship, and trust in the engineering process.
This approach helps Japanese shipbuilders stay competitive while continuing to deliver high-precision ships and vessels for commercial and naval markets alike.
Download the full case study to see how this 3D method delivers.