By Jamie Stafford company Osmosis ,” says Yeargin . “ The telematics not only allow customers to have information on their boats at their fingertips wherever in the world they may be but also allows manufacturers to fix issues with the boat remotely . Telematics are great already and will only improve .”
Navigating uncertainty
The only constant is change , and that brings unforeseen obstacles , obscuring an otherwise straightforward path to success : let ’ s follow automotive ’ s path to electrification – oh , but moving through water is a much bigger challenge than moving on a low-friction surface like a road ... back to the drawing board then .
Still , obstacles can provide opportunities , and there are many lessons to be learned when it comes to adopting new technology . “ The biggest challenge with any change is mindset ,” Yeargin says . “ History is full of examples of great companies who could not embrace inevitable change and the change eventually put them out of business . A big lesson is to be patient . Often when a new technology is introduced it is not fully developed so many naysayers will focus on the challenges . Then the technology develops much quicker than they expect but they have
Connectivity , autonomy , and electrification are the future at Brunswick
missed on the opportunity to integrate it sooner .”
One major issue that lurks on the horizon is educating the industry itself . This proves to be a twice-over problem , as recreational boating is already grappling with how to draw more emerging talent into the workforce . “ As we move towards end-to-end systems integration rather than standalone components , the capabilities and skill sets of our people have to evolve ,” Denari points out . “ We have to integrate everything , so we have to have people who are able to do the software engineering , the control algorithms and the systems integration . That ’ s a significant change when you think about the skill sets you need in the organization . That ’ s one of the biggest things that we ’ ve focused on , building those capabilities in house .”
Another challenge comes at the heels of a boon to the industry : “ We brought a lot of people into this industry over Covid , which is fantastic , but a lot of those people didn ’ t necessarily come from a boating background . Their expectation and perception of a luxury product should be and how it should operate is probably different from the people who ’ ve grown up in the boating world . We want to keep all of those consumers in the industry by ensuring that they have a truly luxury experience . They expect seamless integration , reliability and intuitive operation . The industry as a whole is
Integration necessitates a streamlined manufacturing process
now adapting , and I think these expectations are going to create differentiation across the industry .”
Streamlining success
Despite the headwinds , many in the industry look towards tomorrow with excitement and anticipation . New technologies are constantly being adopted and adapted , and some will stick around to be incorporated into best practices .
“ A lot of items that are in early stage will become standard ,” asserts Yeargin . “ 3D printing , electrification , robotics , telematics , augmented reality , artificial technology all feel new now but will soon be standard practice . Correct Craft has created an entirely separate company to focus on disruptive innovation . Research indicates that existing companies can be good at sustaining innovation but not disruptive . By having a separate company , we have been able to focus intensively on developing technologies .”
“ I ’ m very confident that quality and reliability will be key for the future , and they ’ re certainly areas that we ’ re heavily investing in ,” concludes Denari . “ That ’ s where we ’ re going – this kind of intuitive , seamless , reliable experience , so a boater can spend all their time on the water , and less time dealing with the mechanics of the boat . We ’ ve made a ton of great strides in technology , and we ’ ll certainly continue to do so .”
www . boatingindustry . com may 2023
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