HII to acquire W International assets

W International's Goose Creek, S.C., manufacturing facility. [Photo: HII]

HII eports that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of W International SC, LLC and Vivid Empire SC, LLC (collectively “W International”), a South Carolina-based complex metal fabricator specializing in the manufacture of shipbuilding structures, modules and assemblies.

On completion of the deal, the manufacturing facility in Goose Creek will be known as Newport News Shipbuilding – Charleston Operations, operating within HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding division. The site will support the construction of nuclear-powered submarine and aircraft carrier modules and structures for U.S. Navy programs. Substantially all current W International employees will be offered positions with HII to continue to work on site.

Current NNS vice president and chief transformation officer Matt Needy will become general manager of the site.

“HII is committed to increasing build rates for our Navy customer, and this investment in capacity alongside the Navy will help us do that,” said HII president and CEO Chris Kastner. “It lets us efficiently add trained talent and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities to the urgent job of building ships, making it a unique opportunity to accelerate throughput at Newport News Shipbuilding in support of the Navy and AUKUS.”

The assets to be acquired include advanced production facilities with state-of-the-art equipment, tooling and infrastructure used to fabricate complex metal modules and structures, and are located on a leased 45-acre site with more than 480,000 square feet of manufacturing space. The site has barge and rail access, and is strategically located near Charleston, in a region with a rapidly growing shipbuilding ecosystem and highly skilled trades workforce.

The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2024, subject to the satisfaction of certain closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals and required contractual modifications from our Navy customer and other third parties.