Shipbuilding with Innovation Pressure
Who would have thought? Shipbuilding is one of the most complicated and modern industries, which is acknowledged by engineers from all areas. Long gone are the times when the hull was still a hull and the deck a deck. Today, highly complex and specialized ships, from luxury liners to container vessels, dominate the sea. They need to be fast, safe, and furnished with propulsion systems, be able to recycle waste, conserve fuel, and must emit few toxic substances. Shipbuilding and shipping are key factors and symbols for a functioning world economy. Through globalization of the markets and the division of labour for production of goods, transportation by water can no longer be ignored. The growing cruise market contributes to this trend.
German shipyards rely on the highly developed shipbuilding (supplier) industry. With global demand, they face strong international competition, especially from Japan, Korea, and China. The pressure for continuous innovation is immense. Confirming this is the fact that the percentage of engineers in the workforce has tripled in the past few years. Regarding qualifications, problem solving methods count more than specialized knowledge, which often becomes quickly obsolete. Project management, logistics, communication skills, and mobility are becoming more and more important. To accommodate the demand for experts, who are inadequately covered by the existing university programmes, SALT AND PEPPER can draw on experienced specialists for the shipbuilding industry. The advantage is that the skills from other professions such as plant manufacturing and aircraft construction are just as highly valued in the emerging shipbuilding industry.