In 2008, VNSI (Dutch Shipbuilding industry association) and HME (Holland Marine Equipment) joined forces in the association of Shipbuilding Netherlands, the predecessor of the current association Netherlands Maritime Technology. De Ruijter Strategy was asked guide the new association towards a joint vision for 2015, which can be read (only in Dutch) in the strategy report ‘5x aanpakken’.

In 2005, VNSI and HME had separately formulated a vision for the long term future. HME in the form of the strategic exploration "Innovation 2020", from which 7 different innovation processes for the maritime supply industry emerged. Simultaneously, VNSI published in collaboration with De Ruijter Strategy "Dutch LeaderSHIP 2015", in which 5 success factors and 18 action points for the future of Dutch shipbuilding were elaborated. After the merger in early 2008 into the new association, later known as Netherlands Maritime Technology, there was a need for a joint, new vision. For the realization of this vision, De Ruijter Strategy designed, guided and reported a bottom-up process that deduced and described the most important 5 themes for the next 7 years, through interviews and theme sessions with a wide variety of members.

A decade later, in 2015, the world of Dutch shipbuilding was a complete different one. Business was doing so well that there was a shortage of qualified workers to do all the work. The shipbuilding cluster had worked hard in the years before on cooperation within the cluster and wanted to continue this development. Looking to the future, the industry identified five important common points of attention:
• Competing through talent
• Sustainability and innovation
• Strengthen synergy in the cluster
• Collaboration with the government
• International branding of the Dutch shipbuilding cluster

The vision of Dutch Shipbuilding on these 5 themes was used for the association’s own policy agenda and also provided input for the update of the European 'LeaderSHIP 2015' by CESA and the European Commission.
Would you like to know more about how we can support you in exploring the future and defining a strategy for your industry association? Contact us at +31 (0) 20 625 02 14, or email jolanda van Heijningen.