Results
Fifty years, six countries, one method.
Commercial newbuilding, naval repair, restructuring. The yards differed; the structure that brought them back to their beat did not.
Commercial newbuilding · Korea · 1987–1993Daewoo Okpo: from bankruptcy to the world's leading VLCC builder in six years14→9 months of VLCC lead time1.3M→520K man-hours per VLCC12→8 weeks of dock cycle per shipRead the case →
Naval MRO · Malaysia · 2013–2017Boustead Naval Shipyard: seven late projects, then seven on time×4 outfit-installation rate14→7 months of system integration on SLEP-249→32 months of total production for the corvette classRead the case →
Naval MRO and newbuilding · Malaysia · 2019–2020Shin Yang Shipyard: a stalled naval refit recovered, and a new production system installed in one year75% of all pipe spools installed in two weeks78 outstanding items closed with the Navy in fifteen days3.5 mo from engine installation to delivery of a 47-year-old patrol boatRead the case →
The full record
Every yard, and the role held there
Work before 2013 was done by Suh Wan-Chul as an executive or independent adviser, before he joined Proper Mediation Inc. as Principal Advisor.
| Period | Yard | Work | Role | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–2020 | Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia | Transformation | Proper Mediation Inc., with OMAHAMS | A stalled naval refit recovered; zone-based TACT carried into newbuilding and a ten-year plan |
| 2013–2017 | Lumut, Malaysia | Naval MRO | Principal Advisor, Proper Mediation Inc. | Seven projects on time after seven late; SLEP-2 integration 14 → 7 months |
| 2005–2007 | Odense Steel Shipyard and Baltija Shipyard Denmark, Lithuania; yards in Germany and Estonia | Production systems | Consultant | TACT System co-developed at Baltija within an Odense-led production-logistics programme |
| 2003–2004 | Shin-Han Machinery Korea | Production systems | Consultant | A deckhouse built to one rule: one deck a day |
| 2000–2013 | Medium-sized Korean yards Korea | Production systems | Chief adviser | Continuous flow-line production for block assembly and module construction |
| 1996–1999 | Daewoo-Mangalia Heavy Industries Mangalia, Romania | Restructuring | Chief Executive Officer | Europe's largest shipyard restructured to international standards during Romania's shift to a market economy |
| 1987–1993 | Geoje, Korea | Turnaround | Director, Vision 90s turnaround programme | From bankruptcy to the world's leading VLCC builder; Harvard Business School Case 9-695-001 |
“Our capability has exceeded our system.”
Independently documented
Harvard Business School Case 9-695-001, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Heavy Machinery (Upton and Kim, 1994). It records Okpo's “meteoric improvement” from collapse to world leadership.