4 BAVARIA’S BOLD NEW STRATEGY
The new owners of Bavaria Yachts plan to rebuild the yard’s fortunes by streamlining the current model range and bringing production of all the remaining boats in-house.
The current 26-strong model range of motor and sailing boats will be slimmed by half, with two to three new models being launched annually in a bid to boost stability and sustainability. The E-line range of electric and hybrid powered boats are among the first to go as is the flagship C65 sailing yacht, which was launched at the 2018 Dusseldorf show. Production of the R55 motor boat, meanwhile, will be moved from a contracted yard in Croatia to the company’s base in Giebelstadt, Germany. The number of temporary workers will also be reduced in favour of an increase in full-time staff as part of a bid to reduce build costs and improve quality.
“We want our outstandingly well-trained and committed employees to develop and build all our yachts primarily under own management,” explained managing director Erik Appel, who has been chief operating officer of Bavaria Yachts since December 2017. “The workforce identifies strongly with Bavaria Yachts; it is the key feature of our company”.
Bavaria went into self administration in April before being sold to CMP, an investment company which specialises in the restructuring of underperforming companies.