2017-09-18

Innovation = future

Innovation is the foundation of competitiveness. For years now this has been common knowledge among the business leaders of the shipbuilding industry, who effectively implement new projects, which gain great recognition worldwide. Compared to its competitors, the Polish industry is doing quite well in terms of the innovation level.

Even more so now, when the demand for more technically advanced units grows and said units are more and more often manufactured in Poland. Our shipyards are not restricted to building only simple hulls, but produce quality and advanced units, modernize and introduce innovative solutions in already exploited ships. The shipways produce not only classic units or other structures intended for maritime transport, but also floating equipment for producers of renewable energy sources, e.g. tidal power plants or objects utilized in the hydro-technical sector. The shipyards also establish design offices and research and development centers, while the engineers of the industry are recognized by foreign recipients.

The equipment utilized in maritime transport is usually ahead of the technology applied in other industries and, due to specific security standards of the maritime transport, the investment expenditure for research and development is among the highest alongside the aircraft industry. A ship sailing the high seas has to function perfectly practically without outside help, often in conditions which are difficult to predict. Therefore all of the technologies are focused on the vessels, which have to be the most technically advanced and reliable due to the characteristics of the product. Thus, the indigenous shipbuilding industry offers an ample opportunity of cooperation for other economic sectors in Poland, at the same time offering the highest requirements regarding the quality of the products. Experts in the field emphasize that traditional shipbuilding nowadays is mostly replaced by complicated technological projects comprising of many more elements than just a ship. One of the leaders on the market, Remontowa Shipbuilding, allocates no less than 30% of its annual profits to new technologies.

Currently, the innovative approach to the indigenous shipbuilding subject matter is also favored by the fact that the shipbuilding industry starts to gain a lot of public interest again and is one of the fields which may have a significant positive impact on the country’s economic growth. Information about government programs concerning the shipbuilding industry appears regularly in the media, and an act commonly referred to as the “shipbuilding act”, which aims to boost the shipbuilding industry and complementary industries, has been in force since the beginning of this year. The shipbuilding industry is also covered by the Responsible Development Strategy.

The issue of the shipyard industry will be discussed during the maritime industries panel at the Maritime Economy Forum Gdynia 2017

Article developed in cooperation with "Namiary na Morze i Handel" magazine.

phot. Tadeusz Urbaniak/ZMPG-a S.A