Market developments force shipbuilders to continuously keep an eye on their production processes and business models. Those who do not react quickly to trends and changes in the field, are drowning rapidly and their competition take over. How do shipbuilders keep their heads above the water in this rapidly changing market?

The maritime and offshore market has been struggling for a number of years because of difficult circumstances. The annual reports of the major players in this market are therefore mainly reporting about declining profits and strained budgets. The Dutch Financial Daily (FD) even stated that the Dutch navy was in the ‘heftiest crisis ever’.

Shipbuilders also have to deal with other developments as a result of the shifted market situation:

Increasing complexity of the ships
An important part of the production capacity has been transferred to low-wage countries in recent years. European shipbuilders then resorted to the construction of even more complex and even more advanced ships.

Where a large passenger airplane consists out of one million parts on average, a cruise ship easily consists out of 10 million parts. For example, sensor technology, the Internet or things and a development such as autonomous ships increase the complexity of the ship. The design and construction of such ships require advanced solutions and efficient asset management.

Pressure on the efficiency of the production and assembly process
Ships are not only sophisticated, but must also be designed and be delivered in a faster rate. Its competitors quickly overcome a builder, who does not deliver on time and not within budget.

In practice, this means, that designs must be of high quality immediately and have to be approved quickly. It also means that the production of, for example, components must start early in the design phase. It also calls for optimal collaboration between all the teams involved in the design and construction. In addition to virtual reality and artificial intelligence, there are many new technologies available to further optimize the production process.

Increasing laws and regulations
Both construction and the final product – whether it’s a ship or a platform – must meet ever increasing safety and environmental requirements. Ships must be “green” throughout the life cycle. Even the decommissioning of the ship decades later must impact the environment as little as possible.

That is not a simple task. Legislation is strongly dependent on “political turbulence”. A demand made today for the production process may be different tomorrow. Builders need to be flexible in dealing with those last-minute changes.

Another way
Faster and qualitatively better design, faster production, optimum cooperation, immediate anticipation of changing laws and regulations and technological developments … There are quite a few challenges the European maritime and offshore market is facing.

A number of leading European shipbuilders have already taken on a completely different approach. For example, German Meyer Werft uses the 3DEXPERIENCE platform of Dassault Systèmes to design and build large cruise ships. This combines the work of about 500 designers and engineers. An advanced 3D model shows all teams involved how a design comes into practice and what the points of improvement are.

Also Damen Shipyards has chosen for the 3DEXPERIENCE platform. It will offer the large Dutch shipbuilder one digital environment through which requirements, regulation and project planning are fully traceable. Teams can collect and reuse data, make changes to designs very quickly, plan production early in the design process, and collaborate with suppliers to deliver ships on time and within budget.
Exceeding customer expectations
Through digital management of complex projects, multi-location ecosystems, efficient production planning, and virtual exploration of alternative design scenarios, high quality ships can be build to meet or exceed customers’ expectations.