Helping Shipyards and Boat Builders Go further.

Develop Consulting are improvement experts working with shipbuilders, vessel repairers and maritime service providers to identify issues and improve performance across all areas of the sector.

From shipbuilding and vessel refit to heavy repair and maintenance and manufacturing, we support organisations to stabilise, improve and optimise their operations and supply chains.

We have extensive experience in the sector from asset and customer management, to production planning, through operations, through resource development and the challenges of complex project delivery. We work hand-in-hand with our clients to deliver increased efficiency, productivity, safety and profitability.

We have experience of commercial ship yards, defence projects and also motor yachts, helping organisations to transform, adapt and improve using proven best practice methodologies such as Lean Thinking.

Asset management & availability of vessels?

Projects running over budget & behind schedule?

Technical & management skills shortages?

Production planning & workflow challenges?

Complex supply chain dependencies?

Quality & compliance requirements?

Rising operating costs?

Capacity & resource constraints?

Major infrastructure investment programmes?

Design for manufacture optimisation?

Talk to us about how we can help.

The UK Maritime Opportunity

The UK maritime sector is at a critical juncture. With significant government investment planned and major defence and commercial projects on the horizon, the industry faces both tremendous opportunity and substantial operational challenges.

The reality is stark. Most maritime projects in the UK are currently running over budget and behind schedule. The sector is further behind similar industries in adopting modern, Lean working practices and structured improvement methodologies.

There is an acute shortage of both technical skills and management capability across the industry. From shipyards to component manufacturers, organisations are struggling to deliver projects on time whilst managing increasing cost pressures and customer expectations.

Develop Consulting brings proven expertise from sectors that have successfully transformed their operations. Our team has delivered improvements in manufacturing, high-value engineering and complex project environments. We help maritime organisations modernise their operations, improve project delivery and build sustainable capability.

Our Maritime Focus

Low-volume, high-value manufacturing and heavy maintenance – these are areas of speciality for Develop Consulting.

We have delivered at multiple levels across shipbuilding and boat building domains. We have supported programme turnarounds, design for manufacture optimisation, structural problem-solving, new facility layouts, new facility project management, quality system improvements and much more. We have experience of commercial ship yards, defence projects and also motor yachts, helping organisations to transform, adapt and improve using proven best practice methodologies such as Lean Thinking.

The theme for maritime is clear – low volume, high value, very large-scale projects that demand precision, planning and performance.

Working alongside you to help your business Go further.

We understand change can be difficult and it’s not always clear where to start or what to prioritise.

Develop Consulting works hands-on with your team to identify and make the changes needed to stretch your resources further, put robust planning in place and be able to quickly action improvement for real, tangible and sustainable change.

Our delivery

With much of our team having first-hand experience of Toyota motor manufacturing in the UK and Japan, our preferred delivery methodology is based on the Japanese Lean approach, which we have adapted over many years to help maritime organisations set up processes and train people to be more productive, effective and efficient.

Flexible and robust, Lean improvement methodology has been successfully implemented by major organisations around the world, transforming complex manufacturing and heavy engineering environments.

In the maritime sector, this approach enhances project planning accuracy, coordinates activities across the shipyard and supply chain to reduce rework, and improves on-time delivery across new build, refit and repair operations.

Develop Consulting will work with your team to transfer our knowledge, ensuring improvements are sustainable and your organisation builds long-term capability within your processes and people.

Our Services for Maritime

Lean Transformation – Implementing structured improvement programmes to eliminate waste, improve flow and enhance productivity across shipbuilding, repair and manufacturing operations.
Programme and Project Turnaround – Supporting troubled projects to get back on track through root cause analysis, process redesign and focused performance management.
Facility Layout and Workflow Design – Optimising existing facilities or designing new shipyards and manufacturing plants for improved flow, reduced travel and increased capacity.
Production Planning and Scheduling – Developing robust planning systems that align capacity with demand and improve on-time delivery performance.

Quality System Improvement – Reducing defects, improving first-time-right performance and embedding quality at source.
Design for Manufacture – Working with engineering teams to improve buildability, reduce complexity and optimise production efficiency.
Supply Chain Performance – Strengthening supplier relationships, improving delivery reliability and reducing lead times across the maritime supply chain.
Training and Capability Building – Delivering practical, industry-focused training to develop internal improvement capability and embed continuous improvement culture.