The EU-funded IMPROVE project is developing three next generation ship designs in an effort to keep the competitiveness of European shipbuilding afloat. As competition from the Far East intensifies, the only way for the European shipbuilding industry to survive is to build on its technological advantage and offer ships with added value. Through the innovative use of advanced conceptual design and manufacturing techniques, the project will seek to develop concepts for small series and highly customized production environments, which will take into account important factors such as structure, production, operations, performance and safety at the pre-production stage of a ship's construction.