Smart customized yacht equipment
Since 1983, Akerboom Yacht Equipment has been at the forefront of crafting custom yacht equipment, renowned for its superior quality and enduring reliability. Our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation has led to a novel approach in the design, production, servicing, and enhancement of bespoke yacht equipment.
In parallel industries, the adoption of modular design, smart customization, and configure-to-order (CTO) strategies has been pivotal in developing competitive product families. Initially, sectors characterized by high production volume but low product diversity, such as automobile manufacturing, achieved success. Subsequently, equipment suppliers catering to markets with low production volume but high product diversity have also thrived. Over the past eight years, Akerboom Yacht Equipment has successfully incorporated smart customization across all its product families, delivering tailored, one-off solutions that meet the unique needs of each client.
Akerboom, an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and system developer of yacht equipment, has instituted a development roadmap focused on smart customization to enhance customer value and mitigate risks of failure across all product ranges. For each product family, Akerboom conducts a modular function deployment (MFD) analysis, which distinguishes between generic modules and client-specific modules.
Generic modules consist of components that are standardized through the consistent use of reliable and proven technology. These modules, often not visible to the client or of peripheral interest to the owner, are designed to perform flawlessly. Examples of generic modules include hydraulic cylinders, bearings, and hinges. As illustrated in the following image, for the product family of boarding equipment, Akerboom has identified several generic modules: carriage support, carriage drive, housing, self-levelling stairs mechanism, up/down cylinders, and the swivel drive.
Employing generic modules offers numerous benefits. By leveraging proven technology, Akerboom Yacht Equipment ensures high and consistent quality levels, making its products exceptionally reliable. Throughout their lifecycle, both in use and in service, Akerboom gathers extensive feedback on the performance of these generic modules. This feedback fosters a broad expertise in both corrective and preventive maintenance, allowing Akerboom to build a robust knowledge base and deliver optimal service. Armed with this knowledge, Akerboom continuously refines and innovates these modules. As an OEM, Akerboom ensures that upgraded generic modules are designed to be interchangeable, facilitating future service and refit operations. Additionally, the use of generic modules has enabled Akerboom to develop a cost-effective and well-organized supply chain, which significantly reduces lead times for service and refit projects.
