Consolidated Shipyards

One of the Republic's largest shipbuilding concerns, Consolidated Shipyards originated on Orvieto, in close proximity to both Umbria and Venezia, the political and financial centers of the Republic respectively. It would use this to its advantage, fighting fiercely for the first string of government contracts issued to the private sector to build warships for the evolving Umbrian Republic Navy.

Shipbuilding would undergo dramatic changes over time, forced to keep up with the rapid pace of innovation that would sweep the Republic during its first phase of colonial expansion.  Massive vessels were built to ply the space lanes, constrained by physical barriers to the speed with which they could traverse the Republic, requiring each trip to maximize capacity and return on investment.

These would give way to increasingly smaller vessels, as technological progress reduced the size of everything from power cores and drive engines to more mundane objects like data pads and computer terminals. Competition would be cutthroat for decades, as each firm rushed to be more efficient and more productive. There was little room for error; even small mistakes could be compounded into long term disadvantages that could sink entire enterprises.

Consolidated Shipyards would be among the first to take advantage of the trend towards smaller, more technically advanced ships. While maintaining its larger yards for commercial and military vessels, it purchased a number of small private yards in various locales across the Republic. Consolidated then aggressively used both the extra capacity and extended production footprint to grab more and more market share across the industry.

It was at this stage that a pivotal figure would emerge in the company's history: Alessia Bantia, a woman with no connection to the firm at all.

Archus Bantia was a household name and a fierce proponent of a stronger, more robust Republic Navy. Arguing that the corvettes, frigates, and destroyers the URN had built in droves would be insufficient in the face of an enemy of equal or superior technological capabilities, she pushed the Senate to pursue the construction of larger and larger warships.

Aside from the overtaxed URN shipyards, the only other facilities capable of addressing this shift in priority were those belonging to Consolidated. Working in close cooperation with the Navy's Naval Architecture Board, they would play an important part in designing the Folca-Class heavy cruiser and Corsialto-Class battleship, as well as refining the methods for their production.

With the onset of the Ascomanni War, Consolidated Shipyards would find itself pushed to its breaking point, constantly attempting to squeeze more efficiency out of its existing works and expanding its capacity at breakneck speeds.

Despite its best efforts, it was unable to meet the URN's needs on its own, and the Senate pursued expansion of the Republic's shipbuilding capacity through public-private partnerships, raising up several smaller competitors to enhance production. Consolidated's long term position remains positive, but the rise of more serious competition has shifted the paradigm within the industry.