Valstad Shipworks

We're hiring a Head of Engineering to help us reinvent shipbuilding from first principles. Check it out: valstad.com/careers/head-o…

We're hiring a head of engineering! Join us on our quixotic quest to completely rethink the way America builds ships. valstad.com/careers/head-o…

Robot calibration BEGINS.

The dogposting will continue until shipbuilding improves.

I submitted a statement for today's senate hearing on the SHIPS act co-sponsored by @SenMarkKelly and @SenToddYoung Introduction My name is Dustin Walper, and I’m the CEO and founder of Valstad Shipworks. We are a venture-backed startup focused on the application of AI, robotics, and advanced manufacturing to the problem of American shipbuilding. Our goal is to build a dual-use “Gigafactory for Ships”, applying technologies from the automotive and aerospace industries to rethink the way America builds ships for both commercial and military use. Our position Our organization strongly supports the SHIPS for America Act because it recognizes the existential threat to US maritime interests posed by China. We believe that strengthening the maritime industrial base is one the most important challenges we face in an era of renewed great power competition, impacting not only US shipbuilding and workers but also our ability to conduct commerce and project power in waters near and far. Analysis I will be blunt: China poses the most serious maritime threat we have ever faced as a nation. The evidence for this is overwhelming: • Measured by deadweight tonnage (DWT), China’s share of global shipbuilding in 2024 was estimated at 53.3%. It also holds 67.3% of the orderbook for new orders, suggesting increasing global dominance at the expense of allies like Japan and South Korea. • China’s shipbuilding capacity is estimated to be 232 times that of the United States, with a merchant fleet of 7,838 vessels vs. 185 US-flagged vessels. The Chinese merchant fleet can be repurposed to provide sealift capacity in the event of a conflict over Taiwan. • China has been rapidly expanding both shipbuilding capacity and capability, with new shipyards like Xinneng Shipbuilding demonstrating integration of industrial robots, computer vision, AI planning, and autonomous mobile robots like those used in Amazon warehouses. Xinneng’s website claims they can produce 400+ inland vessels per year at their new 1,757 acre facility. On these and other measures, China is far ahead on ships. If we do not act now – and act decisively – we believe we could see a reorienting of alliances in the Asia-Pacific region away from “Pax Americana” towards a sinister new “Pax Sinica”. Recommendations We applaud the administration’s efforts to attract allied nations like South Korea and Japan to invest in the US maritime industrial base. We also believe that American innovators like Tesla and SpaceX prove that domestic companies – including startups like ours – are capable of truly astounding feats of reindustrialization. Our recommendations are as follows: • Expand funding to explicitly include new shipyard development. The US has not built any major new shipyards in decades, and in our view this must change – yards designed specifically to make use of modern manufacturing automation are the fastest, best way to significantly increase shipbuilding capacity. • Invest heavily in automation & new technology. Ships made in US yards are significantly less labor-efficient than comparable ships built in South Korea. To increase our total output without placing unrealistic demands on the labor supply, we must embrace automation and reduce labor hours required per compensated gross ton (CGT). • Provide dedicated funding and/or supports for new domestic entrants. We should incentivize private capital to invest in the future “SpaceX” or “Tesla” of American shipbuilding. Solutions that only focus on existing shipyards or foreign shipbuilders risk neglecting the world-beating power of our entrepreneurial ecosystem. • Accelerate the development of autonomy guidelines for US-flagged ships. The future of America’s maritime industry need not look like the past. A clear mandate for commercial vessel autonomy would drive rapid adoption of innovative technologies and create new export opportunities for US companies. Conclusion We urge the committee to pass the SHIPS for America Act without delay. China is continuing to advance rapidly, and that capabilities gap will only widen if we do not act immediately. American dynamism is one of the most powerful forces for good the world has ever seen. We have every confidence that, with the right incentives and supports, the American people can rise to the occasion and address the threat from China head-on.

RT @DustinWalper: The magnitude of America's shipbuilding crisis demand urgent action. Here's what we're doing right now at Valstad Shipw…

One small step for shipbuilding, one giant leap for Valstad. Our custom software stack is now controlling the robots. Ingest CAD model, generate robot instructions. Zero manual programming. We'll be open-sourcing the FANUC drivers we wrote to do this shortly.

Space prepped. Steel delivered. Tomorrow the robots arrive. It doesn't look like much, but in this humble space lies the nascent seed of revival. It's time for America to build ships again.

It's a great day to reindustrialize.

On Tuesday our robotics team will grow to 3. It may not seem like much now, but this is the start of something *really* special.

Austin is becoming the new Gundo. What are your favorite Austin-based startups? @AaloAtomics, @basepowerco, @pipedream_labs and obviously @ValstadShip are some of mine.

The flag goes up at @ValstadShip.

While we wait for the Fanuc robots to arrive, Joey the Intern has been working on automated weld seam detection & path planning.

"You can't build ships in America." Us:

RT @DustinWalper: To achieve an order-of-magnitude leap in US shipbuilding capabilities, we need to focus on speed. Material handling is a…

Want to build huge ships with robots? We're hiring engineers in: - Mechanical - Robotics - Controls - Electrical - Software Shoot us a CV at careers@valstad.com

We're hiring a Lead Mechatronics Engineer to build the machine that builds the ships at @ValstadShip. $200k base + 1.5% equity + $20k relocation bonus + benefits. On-site in Austin, TX. $10k referral bonus if you refer me to someone we ultimately hire!

RT @DustinWalper: From steel plate to ship module. A little taste of our production planning process.

Had a fantastic dinner with the CEO of American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) this evening. Great organization that interacts with shipyards all over the world. They’ve seen the best of the best, and we’ll be putting that expertise into practice building American ships.

Conventional wisdom: US shipbuilding can't be competitive because of steel prices and high wages. Reality: Wages are similar in the US and South Korea, but South Korean yards are 4-5x more productive. The solution: Scale & specialization. We need to build a lot more ships.