W A shipbuilder Austal could be on the verge of an historic shift.
The company that made its name building fast ships and ferries out of aluminium is determined to show it can be just as successful making vessels out of steel.
The change could be crucial to the company's survival in Australia. While the US Navy has embraced Austal's revolutionary aluminium trimaran combat ships and catamaran landing ships, the Royal Australian Navy continues to demand its vessels are made from steel.
Austal, which employs almost 600 workers at Henderson, is mapping out a long-term strategy to "de-risk" its bid for the RAN's coming multi-billion dollar tender for a fleet of so-called offshore patrol vessels - ships the Navy is likely to demand are made of steel.
But first Austal hopes to win a $2 billion Australian-funded program to build 21 steel-hulled patrol boats for donation to Pacific neighbours.
Once the company shows with the Pacific patrol boats it can work in steel, it should bolster its credentials to purse the bigger contract for the OPVs.
"If we can't manage an OPV project then we shouldn't be in this business," Austal chief executive Andrew Bellamy says.
"Steel is a much easier material to design and work in than aluminium."
Mr Bellamy says future warship programs should be decided on the basis of national security and best value for the taxpayer, not on the back of saving jobs in any one State.
"The big picture should focus on the tens of thousands of jobs involved in the ship building industry and its supply chain and not be preoccupied by the jobs at the actual point of assembly," he says.
"This industry strategy should be driven to fulfil our national security requirements, not as a job creation scheme."
Mr Bellamy says Austal has spoken to all the likely bidders for the coming $30 billion future submarine contract to see what role the company could play in the historic build. 
Though Austal is unlikely to play any direct role in actually building the subs, it is offering its services as a proved manager of workforces and projects.
"To be fair everybody has said we value your experience," he says. "I think there is a role for us there. We are just not arrogantly saying, hey, we can build a submarine. That's not our experience."
He says it is inevitable that the Australian shipbuilding industry consolidate, with too many yards looking for work around the country.
"There's more infrastructure in the country than we need to meet the industry plan and therefore there needs to be consolidation," Mr Bellamy says.
"The industry should consolidate around two strategic locations - South Australia and WA."
It is likely Austal will soon be asked to build at least two more Cape-class patrol boats - a decision that would keep the builder in work and in a healthy state to bid for the Pacific patrol boats.
In the longer term, Austal may play a role in the future submarine contract by teaming with a proved submarine manufacturer such as Germany's Thyssen-Krupp Marine Systems.
Austal has also signalled it could be willing to buy the troubled Australian Submarine Corporation as part of a conglomerate to manage the future submarine build. 
Industry insiders believe the Australian Government is under heavy pressure from Washington to back the Japanese submarine bid to boost the nascent Japanese defence industry as part of a regional push to counter the rise of China. But the German sub builders say they will build their vessels almost entirely in Australia.
While most of that work would be in Adelaide, a spin-off for WA is that the maintenance and sustainment of the current Collins-class subs would be shifted to the Henderson shipyards, where Austal is based, while the new subs were built.
'The industry should consolidate around two strategic locations.'
Andrew Bellamy