To achieve such total control over our product has required us to develop one of the largest production facilities in the region.
We’re based in Malaysia where over 650 full time staff are working in 51,000 square meters of covered shop floor. (We have another 12,000 square meters ready for expansion.)
This working environment has been carefully designed to allow cutting edge technology to operate hand-in-hand with traditional craftsmanship under the supervision of a 24-man design team.
This close working relationship is essential given the ongoing role that innovation plays in the development of our yachts.
The efficiency of our workflow has proven to be a major factor in the success of our operation. Over the last five years, the factory has been modernized and its facilities re-arranged to ensure the most ergonomic passage of each Palm Beach through every stage of construction and testing. The boats snake through the factory as they visit one specialist area after another.
The beauty of this organizational model is that everything is in the right place at the right time and quality control inspections are being conducted throughout the entire process of the build.
Similarly, the benefit of making everything in-house is that we control both standards and availability. For example, we actually create the material that our CNC machines then cut to fabricate the interior panels of our boats as and when it is required. It’s a seamless process.
As part of our modernization program, robotics is playing an increasingly significant roll. But not perhaps in the way you might imagine.
The German-made robots at our factory operate at higher degrees of accuracy than you’d find in most automotive plants.
But we don’t employ them directly in the manufacture of our boats. We use them in new product development.
Their precise sculpting of complex shapes combined with their 24-hour working day makes them extremely effective in creating new moulds and plugs and dramatically shortens the time from concept to construction.
The vast roof of our facility allows us to conduct all testing under cover. Every boat goes through multiple stages of this process.
Once the deck and superstructure have been fused to the hull with the engines and electrics installed, the boat is gently lowered into the pool and all systems given an extensive trial run.
The boat is then removed for completion of the fit and finish before being returned to the pool for exhaustive testing in preparation for being commissioned and transferred to open water.
Should you choose to order a Palm Beach, we’ll be delighted to host you here at the factory and take you on a guided tour. Once you’ve seen the process, you’ll be able to understand exactly which stage of construction your boat has reached.
Most visitors are initially surprised by the scale of the operation. But, as is often the case, it’s the small details that make a lasting impression. It’s rare that we don’t get a compliment on how well we keep the floors clean.
And we like that. It’s an acknowledgement of just how proud we are of our workplace.
