Gecko shifts into shipbuilding QA

This contract matters because it shifts Gecko from finding problems after ships are in service to catching defects while ships are still being built. In practice, that means using robotic weld and component inspections inside the production flow, where a bad weld or out of spec part can be fixed before it is buried inside a submarine or surface ship. That moves Gecko closer to the budget owner for production quality, not just later maintenance and repair.

• The clearest proof point is Columbia class submarine production. Gecko said the Navy is using robotic digital weld inspections during manufacturing, and later expanded that work around both Columbia construction and surface fleet availability. That shows the same data stack can serve both shipbuilding and sustainment.
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• The BPMI partnership pushes even further upstream. Instead of scanning hulls already in the yard, Gecko is being used on forged and cast components before installation, with a goal of cutting inspection cycles from weeks to days and creating a digital record that follows parts into the fleet.
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• This is a different competitive position from a normal inspection contractor. Gecko brings robots, sensors, data pipeline, and analysis software as one system, which makes it useful inside production quality workflows where speed, traceability, and repeatability matter more than one off field service labor.
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The next step is for Gecko to become part of how complex assets are built, not just how they are repaired. If that model holds in naval shipbuilding, the same logic applies to commercial shipyards, aircraft assembly, and reactor manufacturing, where finding a defect one station earlier can save months of rework and millions of dollars.