Vanguard Magazine

www.vanguardcanada.com DECEMBER 2020/JANUARY 2021 33 naVaL houses, including a new office and ware- house facility on the east coast. This period of the project was defined as the Start-Up phase and included key activities such as the establishment of the Technical Support Network made up of in- dustry material and service providers, the identification and validation of processes to manage the vessels, and the establish- ment of systems and tools that are used today in support of the AJISS Enterprise. A unique challenge associated with AJISS is how to transfer knowledge and leverage Thales experience and lessons learned dur- ing the Start-Up phase. Thales codified some knowledge transfer into an AJISS Management System, consisting of plans, procedures, forms, templates, and digital tools that meet Canada's requirements. This personalized knowledge transfer takes place with experienced ISS personnel from Thales Canada and Thales Australia working in an Integrated Project Team with equally experienced members from the customer organization. AJISS also includes some defining char- acteristics that are unique to ISS contracts with the RCN. It follows a relational con- tracting model and it's performance-based. This new way of working with all of the stakeholders involved in the program is a shift away from the traditional transac- tional, task-based approach – eliminating red-tape and empowering members of the AJISS Enterprise to act in the best interest of the program at all times. Q Now that the first vessel - HMCS Harry DeWolf - has been delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy, what services and support has Thales provided in order to prepare the ship for trials and her first deployment to the Arctic in 2021? When HMCS Harry DeWolf was delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy in July 2020, Thales was prepared for her arrival. Prior to the delivery of the Harry DeWolf, Thales engaged the AJISS Enterprise in planning a Post Delivery Work Period (PDWP) that included some warranty work by the ship builder, preventative maintenance, correc- tive maintenance, implementation of a few engineering changes, and other activities such as acquiring additional maintenance supplies like spare parts. The Harry De- Wolf PDWP met all of our objectives and was completed on-time. AJISS is a hybrid model, meaning Thales (including our TSN) and Fleet Main- tenance Facility (FMF) Cape Scott col- laborated to optimize the deployment of resources and to ensure the development of critical skillsets. It was groundbreaking to negotiate a work agreement between Thales, the FMF, and all of the stakeholders to successfully complete the Harry DeWolf PDWP. Ev- eryone worked together alongside Ship Staff under a relational framework during a pandemic – the dedication involved was unbelievable. There truly is an ISS Enterprise in Can- ada that is prepared to support the Harry DeWolf and future ships as they enter into service. Q The AJISS program is a Canadian Enterprise. What value does it bring in creating this domestically from coast to coast? And can you describe Thales' supplier base to support AJISS? Thales is committed to creating value as a Canadian Enterprise, supporting the cre- ation of thousands of jobs and engaging with hundreds of suppliers over 35 years. It will generate significant economic ben- efits to communities across the country, generating hundreds of millions of dollars in domestic R&D. We're also very focused on developing a Canadian supply chain and investing in supplier development to grow the marine industrial base with businesses both big and small. Finally, we also recognize the need for skills development for a program of this magnitude. In 2018, Thales worked with Nova Scotia Community College, in part- nership with Camosun College, to com- plete a bi-coastal study of the In-Service Support supply chain. This was a $200K investment towards maritime sector skills development and will result in an innova- tive, competitive, and diverse workforce. Q Thales is known for its commitment to R&D and innovation. What can you tell us about the role that digital technology will play in the Thales approach to the AJISS program? Digital technologies like big data analyt- ics, artificial intelligence and cybersecu- rity play a huge role in our approach to AJISS. Generating economic benefits of more than $250 million of R&D in Can- ada, we are leveraging our Digital Fac- tory in Montreal, one of 3 Thales Group AI-focused research centres worldwide, to create an innovation-first approach to how In-Service Support is delivered and how fleets can be managed in Canada and around the world. An innovation that we're currently final- izing is our Refit Optimizer solution: a way to proactively adapt service planning in unpredictable environments using our intelligent multi-objective planning sys- tem. This is the kind of technology that Thales brings to the program. In addition, we'll be working with both industry and academia to continue to spark innovation and skills development in areas such as predictive maintenance, life-cycle management, and logistics sup- port analysis. Q Finally, where do you see opportunities to evolve and modernize how modern fleets are managed? Thales is driving digital transformation in how modern fleets are managed. A good example is digital twinning tech- nology. We're building collaborative en- vironments that provide real-time access to information, not just to data. Thales is also taking the 3D ship build models and transforming them into 3D In-Service Support models. We're working with the most innovative Canadian companies to develop real-time remote monitoring and troubleshooting solutions while ensuring all activities are cyber secure. AJISS is a wonderful opportunity for industry and RCN collaboration on the Digital Navy initiatives, and digital trans- formation enables the RCN to free up their resources so that they can focus on their core business of operating ships. The opportunities in this space are end- less and Thales looks to be a catalyst for this transformation.

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