ShipConstructor Software (Victoria, Canada) is responding to the needs of the international shipbuilding industry by embarking on a project to examine and develop the specifications for an electrical design module package. The project was recently selected for funding by the National Shipbuilding Research Program as an additional part of the larger Second-Tier Shipyard Design Enhancement Project II. The project, headed by Bender Shipbuilding & Repair (Mobile, Alabama), includes a number of the shipbuilding industry participants including seven shipyards and four naval architect firms.

The aim of the project is to examine the requirements and user needs to generate the detailed development specifications of an electrical design module for integration into the ShipConstructor software suite. This module will allow designers to take advantage of the advancements already made by ShipConstructor Software in streamlining the design and production process, and allow for rapid development of a product model. The electrical design module will allow electrical designers to enjoy the same tight integration and familiar user interface that other disciplines have already enjoyed using ShipConstructor. They will be able to work within the product model along with the rest of the design team, in the same database and model, increasing efficiency and collaboration amongst design teams.