Our Capital Markets Day event showcased a number of our key strategic programmes and initiatives, with attendees able to talk to our employees and view demonstrations at our on-site exhibition. To learn more about these initiatives, take a look at the information and videos in our virtual exhibition. 

WasteShark: The WasteShark is a remotely controlled waste collecting catamaran that can swim into tight spaces to retrieve floating debris from the non-tidal basins within our Devonport facility. We’re on a mission to integrate environmental sustainability throughout our operations to minimise their impact on the environment and the WasteShark is a cost effective and environmentally friendly way of doing this. It’s also closely linked with the marine plastic pollution studies being undertaken by Plymouth University and Plymouth City Council.

Nondestructive Evaluation Piles Robot: Designed and manufactured in-house from a basic concept, the Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) robot has been developed to conduct non-destructive examination of concrete capped foundation piles underpinning a refitting dock, providing important information required to support the dock safety case. This critical task is challenging as the area has extremely limited access, using the NDE robot to carry out these investigations avoids the need for substantial excavation work, saving tens of millions of pounds and significant disruption.

Free space optics: This hardware is being trialled to determine the benefits of using lasers to provide remote internet connectivity. The cable free unit has been comprehensively tested against a clear set of requirements and has proven to work very effectively in providing a cost effective way of delivering remote connectivity where no fibre or cabling is present.

Asset tracking network: Our Devonport asset tracking network enables small packets of data to be transmitted. Installed in 2023 following a comprehensive period of testing, the key function of the network is to permit tracking of critical assets removed from warships and submarines undergoing refit packages of work. The network is also being used to remotely monitor the basin levels around the site, providing essential data to the team.

Aruco markers: Aruco markers are being used to provide situational awareness when surveying flooded underwater spaces and are deployed using remotely operated vehicles. The markers allow a Babcock developed machine learning algorithm to localise and quantify corrosion and paint blistering and produce a digital survey report. This work is still in the trial phase but is being developed to demonstrate how surveys could be more accurately delivered in the future.

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1. Competency led learning methodology – All our roles are aligned to a defined set of competency led learning and development interventions, underpinning our ability to consistently meet the needs of our customers, across both current and future platforms.
2. Inspiring strong collaboration – We’ve formed strong collaborative working relationships, both internally across Babcock and externally with our chosen strategic partner colleges and training providers. Through working together and sharing our unique experience, knowledge and skillsets, we’re enhancing the training provided.
3. Taking a phased approach – Delivering through a phased and scalable approach enables us to embed the tools, systems and processes that will ensure a sustainable solution across the business. It allows us to address our customers’ priority programmes and our critical skills gaps, ensuring we have the capability in place to drive availability of our customers’ assets, both now and in the future.
4. Holding a focused perspective – Initially launched at our Devonport facility with a focus on submarine support and critical nuclear skills, this hybrid learning solution will then be deployed across our naval nuclear activity and beyond. Underpinning our commitment to ensuring our people have the training to perform complex, mission critical tasks, more than 2,000 people are expected to pass through the Skills Academy in its first three years, and a further 10,000 over the following five years. By focusing on targeted learning, the academy will accelerate time to competence, in some cases by as much as 67%, compared to traditional training methods.

With the largest nuclear qualified workforce in the UK, and our vast experience of supporting the UK submarine enterprise across the submarine lifecycle, we are uniquely placed to apply this extensive knowledge to our training programmes and deliver the pipeline of talent required by our customers.

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For our defence customers, developing technologies like SwarmCore gives them more control in today’s complex environment combined with increased performance, operational intelligence, enhanced safety and security.
Whether it’s developing innovative technology solutions or engineering excellence, we combine our expertise with a practical mindset. We’re able to tackle high stakes, complex tasks in the most challenging environments, providing solutions that are quick and cost effective to implement, wherever they are needed.

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The modular design and build means the platform can be adapted and re-configured to meet changing operational requirements depending upon capability needs. With the ability to host evolving future technologies in warfighting, it will meet naval requirements both now and in the future.

Arrowhead 140 is the base design of the Type 31 general purpose frigates, the next generation of Royal Navy warships, which will be at the heart of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet. Awarded in November 2019, our contract to deliver five Type 31 general purpose frigates has signalled another decade of ship-build activity for our Rosyth site, where our world class digital shipbuilding facility is delivering the Type 31 programme and provides a modern, future-ready facility.

Arrowhead 140 is also primed for export with contracts already secured in Indonesia and Poland, providing a significant catalyst for the local prosperity in these countries by using local workforce, contributing directly to the social and economic value of its sovereign shipbuilding community and country as a whole.

Find out more at arrowhead140.com

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Ensuring critical services and assets are readily available, affordable and future-proof is a vital task. We combine deep understanding and long-term commitment with constructive challenge.

This facility provides a modern and ergonomic location with everything we need to deliver excellence for our customers whatever the task, whatever the stakes.

These new facilities will include:

• New roadways and subways constructed within the dock providing increased logistics space for deliveries and ancillary services.
• A three-floor production building, with workshops, welding bays, stores for the industrial workforce close to the submarine, office space for the enabling team to ensure the right spares and materials arrive on time, as well as ample welfare facilities.
• Various systems and services that support the in-depth nuclear safety of submarines while in dock and also allow submarines to be safely dismantled and overhauled while in dock.
• A new concept of mechanical handling to get equipment and spares to and from the submarine efficiently, including new portal cranes, two material highways and a dedicated gantry crane for heavy lift work.

The facility sits within our nuclear licenced site in Devonport Royal Dockyard. We rely on the surrounding city for the many services provided by our supply chain and the community also makes up our dedicated and skilled workforce. We make the most of all talents: in our business; in the communities we work; and in our customers.

In terms of progress, we have completed our enabling phase, delivering numerous projects including sealing the dock for construction, safely housing and transporting our construction workforce within the busy dockyard, demolishing various buildings and preparing the groundworks for the construction phase that is now underway.

Now more than ever, what we do matters: creating a safe and secure world, together.

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