‘Oyster 565 hull number three was the first yacht built under Richard Hadida’s business ownership to gain this new certificate and from here all of our boats will meet the standards of what is arguably the original classification society, Lloyds Register.’
Even then, gaining the moulding certificate meant further significant work for the company, especially for the laminating workshop, which has undergone a transformation after an extensive redevelopment of the Norfolk-based site.
Gaining Lloyds Register Workshop Approval also means weekly physical inspection by a Lloyds surveyor in order to ensure that the construction of the hull and deck meet the approved plans as well as continually checking material, storage conditions, batch numbers, environmental readings and data sheets.
‘It has been a 12-month journey, but one that has been invaluable because we now have a Lloyd's Register moulding certificate for each hull and deck that we produce. That journey has involved three key stages, re-engineering the drawings to the SSC rules, achieving Lloyds validation for the building of the hulls and decks and ensuring that all the resins and materials that we use are Lloyds-approved,’ says Mobley. But that is still only part of the overall change.
In looking carefully at the way in which their boats were built, the Oyster team studied the way in which the design and build process worked. With a long a background of marine design and engineering including 10 years at Sunseeker, Mobley was well aware of the complexities of modern design and construction techniques, especially with projects where a number of different parties, often working in different locations, would be working off a centralised set of designs. This, he believed was an opportunity to consider the way that Oyster Yachts operated.
‘After several months assessing the various software systems available, as a team, we have decided to move to Siemens Teamcenter/NX for our design software. Although Oyster has been using a good 3D design package, the ability for various parties to work on one design concurrently and always have the latest model information and data to hand is an increasingly important feature,’ he explains. ‘As an example, if you’re working on a freshwater system that runs from your tank to, say, four consumer points including basins and showers and you’re putting pipes through bulkheads, the
Top: moving to a more
sophisticated 3D design package, Siemens Teamcenter NX, has enabled
members of Oyster’s
design team to work on dif- ferent aspects of a boat at the same time while
ensuring that the changes they make do not adversely affect any other aspect of the overall design. This allows for much greater scope for the customisation of each yacht’s interior – buyers will also soon be able to visu- alise different layout options for their boat wearing a virtual reality headset
internal accommodation geometry is all linked. So, if a bulkhead position or size is adjusted the pipework may be affected. This software will see the bulkhead changes highlight the conflict and help to re-route the pipework around the new obstacles’. At the same time, another designer may be working on an interior layout with lockers and berths in or near the same area. The software ensures that what they are working on does not clash with the new positioning of, say, valves, seacocks or filters. So it’s a much more intelligent design package with increased functionality that is linked to all those involved in the design and production process’.
A deeper dive into the workings of the new system suggests additional benefits including a new method for assigning part numbers for every item involved in a yacht’s construction. And while this might sound like a dry, company-centric detail, it too has knock-on effects for existing owners and future clients particularly when it comes to assessing the implications of proposed changes to an existing specification.
The ability for the engineering and sales teams to work together even more closely helps to explore new ideas and requests more effectively. ‘This in turn allows us all to take an even more open-minded approach
while still keeping a close control on the production schedule and costs,’ he says. ‘We will also be able to work through a wider range of options and configurations with this system which means that we can in turn offer clients a greater choice of arrangements which have been thoroughly worked through. ‘This has been another year-long project and in the next six months we will really start to see a difference.’ Certainly, it is easy to see how up- to-date and accurate information will help to build clearer picture for both manufacturers and clients. And when it comes to visualisation, the longer- term future is even more appealing. ‘The ability to link remote areas of our business has already proved to be a key part of the road ahead for Oyster,’ Mobley continues. ‘Virtual reality has already proved to be as important a tool for clients as it is for designers in other industries.’ Automotive companies such as Aston Martin and Porsche AG are among those to have capitalised on the ability to show a customer various options using a virtual reality headset. Mobley says the same will be true for those looking at Oyster. ‘Fast forward eight or so months and we hope it will be possible for an owner or a potential client to be able to go into our international showrooms, put on a set of VR goggles and link up with us in Southampton, UK while they experience being aboard one of our boats. We can then run through various interior options where they would be able to see precisely what their choices would look like.’ From here, it doesn’t take much to imagine a situation where owners and potential clients are shown and talked through more complex areas of the yacht including its technical systems and mechanical equipment. A bold and exciting new future triggered in part by new rules and regulations, but mostly by a new vision for an established brand.
www.oysteryachts.com
q SEAHORSE 65
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