seatec - Finnish marine technology review 1/2008 | Página 7

“In the cruise vessel business, for example, we moved from the number three spot to number one, and we are looking to hold that position. With regards to offshore and specialised vessels, we are the clear market leader.” STRATEGIC CHALLENGE On the other hand, looking at the merchant vessel business, we may be a big player in Europe but a small player in global comparison, Julin says, referring to the Asian ship-building giants, such as Japan, South Korea and China. “This is a strategic challenge for us: how to find the right niche segment for us in this market. It is clear that standard products can not win the day for us in Asia,” he says. In the CEO’s playbook, taking full advantage of the opportunities provided by a global marketplace takes precedence. The company has various fortresses around the world and it fights for market share in markets that differ - often quite significantly - from each other. This diversity ensures that business is always good - somewhere out there. Julin says that the ability to move fast also counts a lot in the business. This extends also to the decision-making in the what it takes to succeed in today’s mar- gether a record-breaking order backlog. company: Aker Yards, while known for ketplace. For Aker Yards Cruise & Ferries, for in- building massive vessels, favours extremely “We develop the vessel types our- stance, the total v