Hanse Group Centralises Production
Greifswald/Freienohl, Germany, May 21, 2012: HanseGroup, which includes boat brands Hanse, Moody, Dehler and Fjord, is centralising its yacht and speedboat production to its German parent plant in Greifswald. This means that from August, the final assembly of Dehler yachts and the production of various small parts for Hanse yachts will be based in Greifswald.
The current Dehler site 600km away in Freienohl, will be closed at the end of the year.
“We hope that by moving the models to the Greifswald site, we can create synergy effects to implement customer-specific requests and to apply our research and development expertise,” said the company in a statement.
Once the move has been completed, Hanse, Dehler and Moody yachts and Fjord speedboats will all be produced in Greifswald.
Despite Dehler yachts being intended more for competitive sailing and Moody yachts geared toward cruising sailors, both brands according to HanseGroup require the implementation of a large number of individual customer-specific requests.
“For this reason, the production of Dehler yachts will be grouped together with Moody's semi-series production,” explained the builder. “Bundling production activities at one site is the logical consequence of an increasingly close collaboration.”
"Ever since the acquisition of Dehler three years ago, we started adapting the general production process of both brands. As a result, the move is relatively easy", says Dr Peter Barth, the HanseYachts AG director of production.
HanseGroup said bringing the production of Dehler yachts to Greifswald will have a positive effect: research and development facilities are located near Greifswald, making it easier to test and optimise the boats because they are produced directly on the coast and there is no need for a complex logistics system with the sites no longer 600km apart.
The company adds the move will in no way complicate matters for Dehler customers as the first of the brand’s yachts will be integrated into the production process at Greifswald from as early as September. The new 38-foot class, available from Dehler as from the fourth quarter of 2012, will also be produced at the main site in Greifswald.
"We would like to stress that our 89 employees in Freienohl are doing an excellent job and that we are offering each one employment on the coast", emphasised Dr Barth.
HanseYachts AG was established in 1990 and the company says it is now the world's third largest series producer of sailing yachts.
Since the early 1960s, the builder said the Dehler brand has been associated with sporty sailing yachts. After a number of cases, where associates were forced to go into administration, Dehler was acquired by the HanseGroup in 2009. Dehler's product range currently includes five models with lengths of 29, 32, 35, 41 and 45 feet. The 38-foot model will be added to the portfolio in the fourth quarter of 2012.
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