Christian Talmage Named VP of Large-Scale Advanced Manufacturing

[By: Pacific Marine & Supply Company]

Pacific Marine & Supply Company (PMS) today announced its expansion into large-scale advanced manufacturing, hiring Christian Talmage as Vice President of Large-Scale Advanced Manufacturing to lead the effort. In this newly created role, Talmage will oversee the development of a new large-scale manufacturing facility and its strategic direction.

Talmage joins PMS from N2 Ventures, an industrial technology-focused venture capital firm, where he served as an Operating Partner, working closely with defense and industrial companies. Over the past fifteen years, he has founded and led venture-backed businesses deploying frontier technology—such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and data science—to solve complex manufacturing and supply chain problems, scaling them with backing from many leading Silicon Valley investors.

“Christian brings a rare combination: deep technical expertise and a proven track record of scaling physical infrastructure businesses,” said Steven Loui, Chairman of Pacific Marine. “His experience building and advising fast growing businesses in the defense and industrial sectors gives us the leadership we need to further our advanced manufacturing initiatives from prototyping to production, and to bring new manufacturing technologies to Hawai?i.”

The hire strengthens PMS's production capabilities at a pivotal moment of growth. Today, the United States lags Chinese shipbuilding capacity by a factor of more than 200 to 1, making the rapid growth of our country’s Maritime Industrial Base a critical matter of national security. Meanwhile, PMS businesses PacMar Technologies and Pacific Shipyards International are leading the industry in development of unmanned surface/undersea vessels (USVs/UUVs) and the sustainment of our US Pacific Fleet. PMS’s advanced manufacturing capabilities will directly support both initiatives and provide our companies with the ability to move at unprecedented speed and scale. ? ? ? ?

Hawai?i’s remote location in the Pacific and its high concentration of US Armed Forces created the necessity for a large-scale manufacturing facility capable serving defense and commercial customers. As military officials and local business leaders know, Hawai?i sits at the end of a long supply chain, driving up costs and leading to long production delays. To address this need, conventional, Low-Mix High-Volume production lines are not economically viable in the islands, which is why PMS looks to flexible, software-defined, robotic platforms to lead their future production. The facility will draw significant capital investment into the local economy and create many high-skilled jobs in the region. Students and the local workforce in Hawai?i are already training in the skills necessary to be nationally competitive in these roles, PMS is creating a path for them to find quality employment and remain a part of the local community after graduation.

“The vision of a Pacific regional center for large scale advanced manufacturing immediately drew me to Pacific Marine,” said Talmage. “Software defined manufacturing offers an incredible opportunity to address strategic national security concerns, rapidly advance Hawai?i’s tech economy, and improve the economics for many local entrepreneurs. It’s an exciting time to be building in Hawai?i.”

PMS’s initial customer base for the new facility includes the US Department of War, the maritime industry, commercial/recreational boat building, and construction. The company is also pursuing entry into industries with limited manufacturing presence in Hawai?i today, which may include energy applications, auto parts, as well as replacement components for heavy machinery and equipment. As PMS scales capability over the months ahead, the company invites potential partners and customers looking for faster product delivery in the Pacific to connect at [email protected].