Attracting skilled workers & boosting productivity in shipbuilding

Recruiting skilled workers in shipbuilding begins today, long before the first job advert is published – and does not end with recruitment, but continues to influence the shipyard’s productivity. If you are a shipyard or a supplier and would like to know how to retain young talent at an early stage, attract international skilled workers and, at the same time, boost productivity in manufacturing, this article will give you an overview of both aspects: recruitment and process optimisation.

How do shipyards reach out to young talent whilst they are still in training?

A very important step in recruiting young talent for the shipbuilding industry is reaching potential new employees at a very early stage in their education. In this way, shipyards aim to steer them directly towards a career in shipbuilding and prevent them from being poached by other sectors.

To this end, the companies collaborate with educational institutions. Not only do recruiters visit schools and universities to engage with students, they also offer apprenticeships at the shipyard or dual study programmes in shipbuilding directly. In this way, they link the further training of potential employees directly to practical experience in shipbuilding, thereby increasing the likelihood that these individuals will actually choose to take up a position at a shipyard.

How do staff referral schemes help with recruitment?

Another approach that shipyards often use is referral schemes for their own workforce. This means that employees recommend new vacancies to their friends or refer friends to the company in order to recruit them as new staff. In return, employees often receive a bonus or other benefits.

This method is particularly effective. The recommendations reflect the experiences and beliefs of the staff. As a result, they are highly persuasive and the integration of new staff takes place very quickly.

How do shipyards support their own staff through further training?

Companies also support their own staff. Through further training programmes, they thereby enhance their employees’ opportunities for internal promotion. This means employees benefit in several ways from working for the company, which helps to increase staff retention. It also leads to greater skills and improved work performance.

Why are German shipyards increasingly looking abroad for skilled workers?

Whilst the focus of recruitment is clearly on Germany, companies are also increasingly looking abroad for new skilled workers. This is particularly the case when the order book is very full or when a specific area of specialisation is particularly important.

Globalisation in the shipbuilding industry does not merely lead to international competition. It also creates a market for international skilled workers in shipbuilding, which German companies are capitalising on. Workers from neighbouring European countries – and, in some cases, from Asia – bring with them valuable experience that complements German expertise.

What role do temporary work and contracts for services play as short-term solutions?

The shortage of skilled workers also poses a major challenge for the shipbuilding industry in Germany. It is forcing the sector to explore new approaches to human resources management and the recruitment of young talent. Short-term solutions such as temporary agency work or contractors are a valuable aid. In the long term, however, only cooperation with schools and universities, together with a focus on career development within companies, can provide a lasting solution.

In practice, the two levels complement each other: whilst training partnerships and in-house further training help to secure the workforce of skilled professionals in the long term, they bridge the gap Temporary staffing until then and covers periods of peak workload without permanently altering the shipyard’s staffing structure.

After all, a ship is not just made up of steel, machinery and equipment. It is also the result of the work carried out in the shipyards and the ideas of the people in the design offices. This makes the workforce a crucial factor when it comes to shipbuilding.

Why is productivity a key competitive factor in shipbuilding?

Productivity itself, in turn, is not a luxury, but is in its own right a crucial factor when it comes to competitiveness. Higher productivity means lower costs, higher quality and a shorter time to project completion.

To ensure high productivity, it is important that modern shipyards constantly optimise their employees’ work and their manufacturing processes. This poses a particular challenge for the shipbuilding industry. The key here is to combine traditional craftsmanship with digital workflows and new technology.

Which areas are key to a shipyard’s productivity?

Shipyards can only achieve their goal of increasing productivity with a technically competent and motivated workforce. This makes it possible to avoid errors, reduce downtime and achieve peak performance at all times. The following areas are key to this:

• The optimisation of production processes
• Staff training and development
• The integration of modern technologies
• The working environment and staff motivation
• Project management and team organisation

How does standardisation improve productivity in shipbuilding?

Every manufacturing process requires specific procedures. These form the basis for the planning, organisation and execution of the work. However, this also means that they provide the first step towards a solution. The standardisation of processes, the use of so-called lean management and digitalisation, when combined, make it possible to achieve a measurable increase in productivity.

A recurring problem in shipbuilding is the large number of different work processes. The resulting variety of procedures, the many individual manufacturing methods and the sometimes unclear production steps hamper productivity and lead to significant time wastage. They are often the cause of errors and mean that individual workers cannot simply master all the different processes. So anyone stepping in to cover for an absent team member must first familiarise themselves with the new area.

However, if processes are standardised, they can be easily taught and readily repeated by staff. Over time, this repetition also makes it possible to carry out further optimisations. This is particularly the case with repetitive tasks such as cutting to size, welding and assembly. Standardisation can reduce the time spent on repeating tasks or eliminate the need for them altogether.

What is lean shipbuilding and how does just-in-time production work?

It is precisely the transition to lean shipbuilding, with just-in-time production and specialised tools, that makes it possible to minimise duplication of effort and thus avoid waste.

At the heart of lean shipbuilding lies the avoidance of pointless activities and irregular workloads, as well as the prevention of overloading machinery and staff. To this end, staff organise their individual workstations so that they are clean, tidy and efficient.

All staff are involved in the process of continuous improvement. This means that their ideas help to improve individual processes. Visual aids are used to provide a clear overview of production status and performance. Ultimately, the process is managed via the pull system. This means that teams work solely according to actual customer demand and do not engage in push production.

Within the shipyards, this results in well-organised docks and workshops. There, material flow routes and areas of responsibility are clearly defined. This saves valuable time when dealing with the constant stream of problems and queries.

Note: Short-term staff shortages in shipbuilding can be addressed in a legally compliant manner through temporary agency work under the German Temporary Agency Work Act (AÜG). You can read more about this in our article on Temporary Employment Act (AÜG).. You can find an overview of the individual recruitment strategies employed by the shipyards in our article on shortage of skilled labour in shipbuilding.

Conclusion

Recruiting skilled workers and productivity in shipbuilding are two sides of the same coin. Those who invest early in training, referral schemes and further training, whilst at the same time seeking skilled workers internationally, secure the expertise a shipyard needs in the long term. Short-term bottlenecks can be overcome by Temporary staffing and bridge the gap between contracts for work and services. At the same time, standardisation is increasing and Lean Shipbuilding Just-in-time production makes it possible to measure productivity – and makes the shipyard more competitive overall.

FAQ

How do shipyards attract young talent whilst they are still in training?

Through partnerships with schools and universities, as well as our own apprenticeship places and dual study programmes, which combine practical experience directly with further education.

Why are referral schemes so effective in recruitment?

Because recommendations reflect the actual experiences of the company’s own staff, which is highly persuasive and helps new employees settle in more quickly.

Why are German shipyards looking for skilled workers abroad?

Particularly when order books are full or when a specific area of specialisation is required, shipyards turn to the international market for skilled workers, for example from neighbouring European countries.

Is temporary work replacing the long-term recruitment of skilled workers in shipbuilding?

No, temporary work and contracts for specific tasks merely bridge short-term shortages. In the long term, only training partnerships and internal career development can ensure a sustainable supply of skilled workers.

Why is productivity a competitive factor in shipbuilding?

Higher productivity reduces costs, improves quality and shortens project completion times, which has a direct impact on a shipyard’s competitiveness.

What are the benefits of standardising work processes in shipbuilding?

Standardised procedures are easier to teach and repeat, reduce errors and shorten the training period when staff have to step in.

What exactly does ‘lean shipbuilding’ mean?

Lean shipbuilding avoids unnecessary activities and overloading, organises workstations efficiently, incorporates employees’ ideas and manages production via a demand-driven pull system rather than push production.

How does Zeitarbeit International help with short-term demand for skilled workers?

We provide qualified, vetted specialists on a project-by-project basis and ensure that all arrangements are handled in full compliance with the German Temporary Employment Act (AÜG), so that you can reliably cover peaks in workload.