United Kingdon Shipbuilding Companies

Duing the 1960s and 1970s, the UK share of market sales slipped in an expanding market. Primary blame for the poor showing was laid to poor management which has failed to use general management's skill to overcome insular attitudes and neglected internal management development. Some exceptions were noted. Craft training and technical skills appear strong but the planning functions tend to suffer from low status in the organizations and from top managements' negative attitudes. The Government financial aids have helped some yards through critical cash flow periods but have not alleviated the basic problems.

By the 1980s the British shipbuilding industry, while undergoing very severe reductions in size, had incorporated such improvements as CAD/CAM techniques (in which U.K. yards are leading exponents), covered building halls, and flexible labour. Mainstream naval shipbuilding was back in private yards such as Yarrow, Swan Hunter, and Vickers. Other players included British Shipbuilders, Harland & Wolff, and some smaller private yards.

By the end of the 20th Century major players were BAE Systems and Vosper Thornycroft Holdings plc. The CVF Future Aircraft Carrier was designed and built entirely in the United Kingdom, with shipyards at Babcock BES at Rosyth in Scotland, BAE Systems on the Clyde, Swan Hunter in the North East and Vosper Thornycroft at Portsmouth playing key roles.