“The market for cruise ships is booming again”

COO Jörg Heidelberg on the future success of Meyer Werft

Jörg Heidelberg, COO of Mayer Werft
06.03.2025 | Article

With 15 million parts, a cruise ship is one of the most complex products to be built. Meyer Werft in Papenburg in northern Germany, one of the largest and most modern shipyards in the world, has decades of experience in this field. The long-established company is currently struggling with the effects of the coronavirus crisis and the war in Ukraine. In a brief interview with Porsche Consulting, COO Jörg Heidelberg nevertheless takes a positive view of the future.

“The market in the cruise segment is booming again and new ships are being ordered. This is a good foundation for developing the future,” says Heidelberg. Together with Porsche Consulting, the shipyard has achieved enormous cost savings and aligned the organization for the future with an end-to-end logic. 

In order to remain competitive, the long-established company is focusing on optimizing shipbuilding through digitalization and the introduction of new systems. The goal: technological leadership. “Our success will also depend on our diversification. We want to build other products in order to become less dependent on this one market,” adds Heidelberg.

 

See the full interview with Jörg Heidelberg below.

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