Industry overview
What is shaping shipbuilding
Shipbuilding and maritime services depend on a deep supplier ecosystem, skilled workforce and port infrastructure, with long project cycles and strict standards.
- Supplier capability limits how fast yards can scale
- Skilled trades are scarce and ageing
- Port users judge performance on turnaround and reliability
Client background
A ship repair yard, working in Ship owners and managers in India, UAE, Hong Kong & Japan. Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.
- Organisation
- A ship repair yard
- Sector
- Shipbuilding
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Business panel, Qualitative research, Online surveys
Client challenge
The repair yard competed with yards in the Gulf and South-East Asia and was losing repeat business. It wanted to understand how ship managers chose repair yards and how it compared.
Research objectives
- Answer the core question: what ship owners value in a repair yard.
- Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 8 weeks.
Target audience
Scope: 30 interviews, 110 survey responses.
Audiences we typically reach in shipbuilding
Shipyards and project managersMarine equipment suppliersSkilled workers and traineesPort users and shipping linesMaritime regulators
Geographic coverage
Coverage: Ship owners and managers in India, UAE, Hong Kong & Japan. Markets: India, United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Japan.
- India
- United Arab Emirates
- Hong Kong
- Japan
Research methodology
A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.
- 1Brief
- 2Interviews with technical superintendents
- 3Online survey
- 4Insight
We interviewed technical superintendents and fleet managers about yard selection, quotation practices, schedule reliability, quality and communication during repairs, then surveyed a wider group to measure the importance of each factor. Interviews were scheduled around vessel schedules and conducted by video with superintendents in several time zones, with all responses kept confidential.
Business panelQualitative researchOnline surveys
Sampling strategy
- Business respondents were screened on role, company size and involvement in the decision before being invited.
- Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- interviews
- 30
- survey responses
- 110
- The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
- Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
- Review of open-ended answers
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Schedule overruns and surprise cost increases were the main reasons managers went elsewhere.
- Within a year, the yard was quoting with clearer scopes and several managers who had moved elsewhere returned for routine dry-docking.
Predictability won repeat business more reliably than lower prices.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: predictability won repeat business more reliably than lower prices.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: schedule overruns and surprise cost increases were the main reasons managers went elsewhere.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The yard introduced fixed-scope quotations with clear variation procedures and daily progress reports during dry-docking.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: what would attract more skilled workers?
Client identity is withheld to protect confidentiality.