Additive Manufacturing Changes OEM Strategies in Maritime and Offshore Maritime Activity Reports, Inc. Scott Harding, VP Engineering, Pelagus 3D June 2, 2026 Image courtesy Pelagus 3D Maritime and offshore original equipment makers/manufactures are reevaluating their ‘make or buy’ decisions, as additive manufacturing establishes the case for controlling not only the cost and quality of parts, but also their delivery lead times, says Scott Harding, VP Engineering, Pelagus 3D. Cost has always been the starting point for equipment suppliers in the ‘make-or-buy’ debate where parts are concerned, and the maritime and offshore sectors are no exceptions. While quality control, intellectual property, and engineering authority are crucial, OEMs and Genuine Makers first need to know whether there is a margin that justifies the effort and overheads of production.   For buyers, lead time is also critical. Here, the global nature of the shipping and offshore industries, and the need to deliver parts to coincide with vessel locations create a separate force for action. If an OEM cannot deliver within a timeframe required by the operator, the operator will find another route. In urgent situations, that route may bypass approved channels entirely. In that moment, the make-or-buy discussion stops being theoretical. It becomes a commercial risk. OEMs across multiple global industries are revisiting manufacturing strategies because traditional service models are not keeping pace. Increasingly, a compelling case is being built for additive manufacturing as a production option. Even in regulated industries, additive manufacturing has moved beyond experimentation. Research from McKinsey recognises changing expectations from buyers in many global sectors, the opportunities additive manufacturing provides, and its adoption for production rather than prototyping. For OEMs in the marine and offshore space, the question is no longer whether additive manufacturing works, but whether its c