the boat yard industry

The industry deep dive explores the emerging trends, opportunities and challenges in the boatyard industry in Sweden. Incorporating information from 10 structured interviews within PESTEL and literature studies, this project provides insights of how the boatyard industry is adapting to a changing world and how the industry could benefit from the salinity sensor that has been built. 

 

The boatyard industry plays a crucial role in reparation, maintenance and construction of  boats. Boating is a common interest in Sweden, where about 16 percent of the population have at least one leisure boat, which means that the market for boatyards is relatively large. 

However, the industry has encountered some challenges over the last couple of years, including change of social and environmental trends, as well as economic fluctuations and technical development. 

 

A social aspect in the boatyard industry that seems to be on the mind of many boatyards, is that there is a shortage of competent labor force. This problem has arisen due to a general trend of becoming more highly educated and the industry being viewed as less attractive. To deal with this upcoming issue, some boatyards are educating their personnel themselves, as well as recruiting students directly from high schools. Boatyards that don’t work to prevent this shortage will most likely have difficulties acquiring skilled personnel within a few years. 

 

Another challenge in the industry is to keep pace with the technological development being made. Research has clarified that although the boatyard industry historically hasn’t been developing too fast, it is now starting to keep up with other similar industries. Electricity driven boats require a whole different set of skills from the personnel, as well as different techniques and tools. To keep up with this transition, economic growth is a must in the boatyard company.  

 

However, it has been discovered that one of the competitive advantages that boatyards have is that they are often bought out of interest in boating and/or fishing. That might be one of the reasons as to why boatyards, such as Vindö Marin, haven’t taken too much damage from economic recessions and a pandemic. Boat owners don’t sell their boats in the first place, and since boatyards often operate in the aftermarket and have international customers, they aren’t too dependent on Swedish residents to always have a high purchasing power. 

 

Interviews with researchers such as Leon Green and Erik Ytreberg have provided insightful information of the current coastal data gap that exists. It has been established that filling this data gap would be of great benefit to both researchers within the maritime field, as well as the boatyard industry. In the light of this statement, it was determined that the sensor that would be built was a salinity sensor, Sally. By using Sally, it is possible for researchers to develop anti-fouling paint that doesn’t leach toxins in excess. Anti-fouling paint contains heavy metals and biocides in order to prevent biofouling. However, the level of salinity plays a role in determining the amount of toxins that the paint has to contain. If the coastal salinity data gap is filled, researchers can be able to develop anti-fouling paints more specifically adjusted to the salinity level at a certain place, which can decrease negative emissions. This is a great opportunity for the boatyard industry, which is currently facing pressure to become more environmentally friendly.