Solving real-world challenges together

Shane Amaratunga, Global Business Development Director shares his insights

Innovation doesn’t happen in isolation. It comes from listening, challenging assumptions, and working side by side with people who bring different perspectives to the table. That’s especially true when the problems we’re tackling are complex, high-stakes, and deeply rooted in the real world.

Investing in what matters

At BMT, we don’t just talk about innovation - we invest in it.

Thanks to our independence, we can reinvest in the ideas and capabilities that help us solve tomorrow’s challenges, not just today’s. But it’s our values that make that investment meaningful. Whether it’s the integrity behind trust, the curiosity that fuels innovation, or the partnerships born of true collaboration, everything we do is shaped by what we stand for.

From advancing autonomy, refining our simulation capability, or developing sustainable maritime solutions, that investment ensures we stay relevant, responsive, and ahead of the curve.

It reflects a broader shift from reacting to customer needs, to anticipating them. By putting resources behind bold ideas, we’re helping our customers make smarter, faster, and more sustainable decisions.

Being bolder together

Our customers are encouraging us to be bolder - to challenge convention, question the norm, and bring fresh thinking to the table. They’re not just looking for suppliers who respond to a brief; they want partners who rethink the brief with them.

One area where this is particularly relevant is in our approach to bespoke bids. While we've always brought technical rigour and reliability to our proposals, we're now also focusing on creating more space to explore bold, alternative ideas from the outset. It's about balancing innovation with our deep sense of responsibility, giving customers confidence that we're thinking ambitiously and responsibly at the same time.

Turning collaboration into real impact

A recent example of this is a dredging project we undertook. Rather than take the standard route, we worked closely with the customer to fully understand the broader challenges, including environmental considerations and long-term operational efficiency.

By combining our technical expertise with their on-the-ground experience, we co-developed a solution that not only met performance goals but also delivered greater value through reduced environmental impact and improved lifecycle outcomes.

That kind of result doesn’t come from simply “doing the job”, it comes from real collaboration.

Why diverse perspectives make a difference

No one has a monopoly on good ideas. That’s why we believe in putting more minds around the table, especially when those minds come from different disciplines, backgrounds and industries.

At BMT, we’re proud of the depth and breadth of knowledge within our teams. But we also know that the best solutions often come when we share that knowledge freely - across business units, with our customers, and through long-term partnerships.

Collaboration not only helps us deliver better outcomes; it also builds trust and develops our people along the way.

Building stronger relationships, not just better outcomes

In the end, collaboration isn’t just about the solution - it’s about the journey. When we work closely with our customers, we develop not only better technical outcomes, but also stronger relationships.

Those shared experiences, both technical and social, help lay the foundation for trust, for long-term partnerships, and for continued innovation.

Innovation isn’t something we deliver. It’s something we do together.

Visit our Innovation pages to see how we’re working with customers to shape the future.

Innovation isn’t something we deliver — it’s something we do together. It happens when we listen, challenge assumptions, and collaborate with partners who bring fresh perspectives. Real impact comes not from following a brief, but from rethinking it together, with curiosity, trust, and bold ideas that shape the future.