The Production Development Corporation (Corfo) seeks to strengthen the national value chain in the shipbuilding industry and, with it, increase the number of local suppliers. For this reason, it allocated $2.25 billion to two projects that will enhance the sector’s development.
Within the framework of the “International Seminar of Shipbuilding Suppliers,” held at the Inacap headquarters in Talcahuano, Corfo announced the selected candidates from the ImpulsaTec program call. This instrument aims to help Chilean manufacturing companies diversify their productivity and competitiveness, integrating themselves as suppliers in the value chains of specialized sectors.
In this context, Hugo Arias, Manager of Strategic Affairs at Corfo, commented that “we have the great challenge of increasing the number of local suppliers in the Shipbuilding industry, and that is the focus of this conversation today. Furthermore, we announced the allocation of two supplier development projects led by Chilean companies, through Corfo’s ImpulsaTech instrument, which together total $2.25 billion and where Corfo provides a subsidy of $1.35 billion.
The first winning project is “Sitecna+Naval,” to be executed in the Los Lagos Region with projections towards the Aysén and Magallanes regions, aimed at strengthening the technological and productive capabilities of the shipbuilding value chain in the Southern Austral zone of Chile.
The initiative “seeks to close gaps in standardization, quality, and operational continuity in beaching infrastructure and waterfront areas, through an integrated solution that combines infrastructure modernization, adoption of enabling technologies, validation under real conditions, and technology transfer to local suppliers. The duration of this program is 36 months and the total cost of this initiative is $1 billion, of which Corfo will co-finance $600 million (60% of the total),” according to the Chilean Government agency.
The second project is linked to Astilleros y Servicios Navales S.A. (Asenav), which proposes the development -in Valdivia- of a specialized Industrial Park to provide infrastructure and advanced equipment for the suppliers of the national naval industry, with the purpose of achieving international efficiency and competitiveness standards.
“In its first stage, a pipe workshop will be implemented, aimed at manufacturing custom spools for Asenav, Astilleros y Maestranzas de la Armada (Asmar), and other national shipyards and complementary industrial sectors, such as dairies and civil works,” according to Corfo.
“Through state-of-the-art equipment, integration software, and technical training, the goal is to optimize the design, manufacturing, and communication processes between engineering and production.
The use of specialized bending will reduce the need for imported components -such as elbows, decreasing joints and welding times, with direct impacts on productivity and quality,” he added.
In line with what was reported, the duration of this program is 36 months and the total cost of this initiative is $1.250 billion, of which Corfo will contribute $750 million (60% of the total).
“The two awarded proposals seek to support the diversification and sophistication of the manufacturing industry and its productive linkages; in this case, in shipbuilding, which is a strategic objective we are promoting as a country through the Sustainable Productive Development Program (DPS). In turn, the initiatives are aligned with the Shipbuilding Policy, allowing us to promote concrete actions in the territories, with a clear economic benefit,” stated Aintzane Lorca, head of the Sustainable Productive Development Division of the Ministry of Economy.
It is worth noting that the National Shipbuilding Policy allows for the combination of innovation, engineering, and productive capabilities, positioning Chile as a country capable of designing, building, and maintaining its own fleet, where each vessel will also be a platform for learning, innovation, and technological transfer, which will enable the generation of productive linkages, local suppliers, quality employment, and opportunities for SMEs and tech startups.
