Photo: Sunbeam Yachts

15. August 2024

Sunbeam Yachts: Where Craftsmanship Meets Digitalization

Sunbeam Yachts has been building exclusive sailing yachts at Mattsee for generations. The production is done by hand, with some processes now digitally supported.

The COVID pandemic ultimately triggered the decision to make internal processes at the yacht manufacturer more efficient. “During this time, we had a large number of orders, all of which— as is customary for us—consisted of individually configured modules,” recalls Philipp Hahn, Operations Manager at Sunbeam Yachts. The quality assurance for each of these modules was particularly time-consuming. This changed with the introduction of the quality app. This application provides a structured questionnaire that covers both the technical and visual aspects of the yachts. Photos can now be taken directly at the respective checkpoints and automatically sent and properly archived. The processes are now more standardized, and the individual characteristics of each yacht are already incorporated into the questionnaire. Starting with the inspection of the steering system and extending to the securing of screws and nuts, the app enables precise guidance during quality control. “This new approach saves us up to 35 percent of the time compared to before,” says Hahn. The system is flexibly expandable and can be easily adapted to new yacht models.

Efficiency Through Closing Information Gaps

In parallel, the Digital Warehouse, an extension of the ERP system, was implemented to improve inventory management. An advanced scanner system replaces the traditional paper-based processes, enabling real-time registration of all components in the system. This also closes information gaps, as the planning phase now records which parts are needed for the yacht, ensuring they are no longer mistakenly counted as available inventory. The high effort previously required for data maintenance in the system is eliminated. Customers benefit from shorter waiting times for reorders. “We were aware that these major changes would also entail significant financial costs,” says Hahn. “That’s why the funding we received, which we found with the help of Innovation Salzburg and ultimately got approved, was such a great support for us.”

About Sunbeam Yachts

Contacts for Innovation Funding

Mag. Romana Schwab

Head of Service Center Innovation

+43 5 7599 722 76
romana.schwab@innovation-salzburg.at

Florian Dürager

Mag. (FH) Florian Dürager

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