Birdon unifies global design and production teams with SSI’s shipbuilding-specific platform

See how Birdon standardized design and production with SSI and ShipConstructor across programs in Australia and the United States. Leaders from Birdon and SSI explain why ShipConstructor stood out, how the rollout achieved day-to-day proficiency, and where automation, open data, and digital twins are reducing rework, tightening change control across sister ships, and improving handoffs to the yard. With more defense work ahead, Birdon outlines its digital roadmap and how the partnership with SSI helps scale processes, control risk, and keep complex vessels on schedule and on budget.

Birdon, a global leader in maritime, defence, and resource sector solutions, is no stranger to complexity. With operations spanning Australia, the United States, Europe, and Asia, the company designs, builds, operates, maintains, and decommissions some of the most challenging vessels in the world — from waterway commerce cutters to advanced defence ships. Coordinating projects across continents, ensuring production accuracy, and keeping schedules on track presented a formidable challenge for a company with such a wide scope of operations.

To address these challenges, Birdon turned to SSI and ShipConstructor, a purpose-built shipbuilding software solution. The partnership transformed how Birdon approaches design and production — turning globally distributed teams into a cohesive, around-the-clock workflow, and creating a foundation for long-term digital transformation.

A New Approach to Global Collaboration

For Birdon, one of the biggest hurdles was connecting teams across continents with different workflows, time zones, and production requirements. Previously, design and detailing were handled with generic CAD tools that lacked shipbuilding specificity. This made it difficult to capture the unique methodologies, production standards, and deliverable requirements necessary for complex maritime and defence projects.

ShipConstructor created a shared platform where all teams speak the same “shipbuilding language.” Engineers across Birdon locations can work on the same models, passing projects back and forth seamlessly while maintaining security and IP compliance. This continuous workflow allows Birdon to maintain productivity around the clock and accelerate delivery schedules without sacrificing quality.

There’s a common language between both teams which enables us to work around the clock, passing projects back and forth in the same model with the same level of support from SSI.”

– Tim Curtis, Chief Solutions Officer, Birdon

Automation That Reduces Rework and Risk

Shipbuilding is inherently complex, with thousands of manual processes in design and production. Plate expansions, scribe lines, and frame lines once required significant human effort and were prone to errors. By leveraging ShipConstructor’s automation capabilities, Birdon eliminated much of the repetitive work, freeing engineers to focus on high-value problem-solving.

The automation also strengthens quality control across sister ships, reduces the risk of rework, and ensures production teams have accurate data at their fingertips. By moving away from 2D outputs and using 3D models directly in fabrication, Birdon is reducing the gap between design and production, streamlining handoffs and improving efficiency across every program.

SSI as a Strategic Partner

The partnership with SSI goes far beyond software. SSI engineers, including on-site experts like Simon Crook, work closely with Birdon to ensure ShipConstructor is fully optimized for the company’s unique workflows. Regular visits, hands-on support, and guidance help Birdon continuously refine processes, address challenges, and implement best practices.

Birdon views SSI not just as a supplier but as a strategic partner and a true extension of its team. This close collaboration ensures global alignment, reinforces knowledge sharing across continents, and positions Birdon for scalable growth.

“One of the advantages of working with SSI and ShipConstructor is that they know ships — it’s in the name — so they speak the same language as we do.”

– Tim Curtis

Digital Roadmap and Future-Readiness

Birdon is building toward a global digital workflow that connects engineering, production, planning, and procurement. By standardizing processes and leveraging ShipConstructor’s enterprise capabilities, the company is creating a digital ecosystem that supports long-term decision-making and operational excellence.

Downstream activities, such as procurement planning and production scheduling, now benefit from accurate, real-time data from the 3D model. Looking ahead, Birdon plans to expand digital twin usage, automate more processes, and further integrate engineering outputs into production and operational planning with solutions like ShipbuildingPLM. This digital roadmap ensures that Birdon can scale programs efficiently while maintaining quality, controlling risk, and keeping complex vessels on schedule.

Looking Ahead: A Global Standard for Shipbuilding

Through the partnership with SSI and the adoption of ShipConstructor, Birdon has successfully transformed its global shipbuilding operations. Standardized workflows, automation, and seamless collaboration across continents have enabled Birdon to reduce errors, accelerate production, and maintain schedule and budget control.

By integrating distributed teams into a single, global workflow, Birdon, together with SSI, is not only keeping pace with the demands of international maritime and defense projects but setting a new standard for efficiency, precision, and innovation in shipbuilding.

About Birdon

Birdon is a diversified global group of companies providing whole of life solutions to the maritime, military and resource sectors. The Birdon Group has operations across the United States, Australia, Europe, and Asia.

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