Originally from Toulon, Édouard was fascinated with the sea and ships from a very early age. After completing a technology degree in mechanical engineering, he went on to become an engineer through a work-study diploma, studying at the CESI industrial further studies centre at Sophia Antipolis, and working at DGA Technique Navales in Toulon. Édouard joined Naval Group as a Studies/Test Manager in November 2020 and has since worked on programs such as the logistics fleet (Flotlog) as well as on the calculator product line for the defence and intervention frigate programme and Gowind®, amongst others.
"All the systems on board a ship interact with its navigation, and so each day's work is different! A ship's navigation system will be more or less complex depending on its missions. Once its architecture has been defined, we start the consultation phase, calling on various suppliers (iXblue, Safran, etc.) to continue the system's development. The system's suppliers are monitored closely on a weekly basis in order to follow progress and deal with any issues that arise. At the same time, we create the interconnection matrices between all our equipment (inertial central unit, calculator, sensors, etc.) and its users, that is to say, those who need navigational data in order to operate under normal conditions. It's great as we get to work with all the systems!" explains Édouard.
From design right to testing: infallible technical monitoring
Progress is made on the project throughout numerous technical meetings. The process is fairly lengthy and reaches the final stage of testing to ensure that the navigation system is operation properly on board. "My role is to support the System Engineering Leader in dealing with the hard points that arise frequently. I take part in all the program meetings and write the reports necessary for the correct follow-up of technical points. Each week, I draw up a list of the points to be dealt with or addresses with the teams concerned. I also go to the shipyard during the integration phase to provide support to teams there. So, in short, the key to being a good Studies/Test Manager is providing infallible technical monitoring. We provide a clear vision of the overall system to the System Engineering Leader", adds Édouard, who ends by saying: "Navigation is really at the heart of a ship's systems. It's an amazing learning ground with lots of possibilities and innovative technologies - the perfect place to broaden our skills!"