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It is said that preparations rarely survive contact with reality, but shipyards are realising that engaging with contractors adds value, writes German Cagliardi from RNDV Group of Companies.

The business of actually building a ship gains far less attention than contract announcement or christening, despite it being the most complex part of the process. Once the signing ceremony is done, attention turns to the detail of how to design a plan that will get the ship on the slipway so the champagne corks can pop.

The problem for shipyards – and contractors alike – is that the hard bit in the middle of the process can be seen as the lowest value link in the chain. Working with steel plate and blocks, pipework and components are often viewed as elements where costs should be driven down to the lowest possible number.

It’s a strategy that rarely returns positive results, and instead creates problems that could have easily been avoided, had the contractor and shipyard had a more constructive conversation before work begins.

The traditional industry perception of contractors is of a workforce that can be brought in to perform whatever functions the project requires. Because supply is plentiful and demand is elastic, there is built-in inefficiency and waste of time and resources inherent in their use.

This may once have been true…