Viking Yachts is partnering with AI platform Viam in a bid to make the manufacture of the company’s yachts more efficient.
The partnership will see Viking Yachts incorporate Viam’s technology to support its fibreglass sanding processes.
Viking Yachts manufactures sportfishing and cruising yachts in its 1 million sqft of manufacturing facilities in New Jersey.
The yacht builder points out that fiberglass sanding is a vital but labour-intensive and time-consuming aspect of marine manufacturing with the process requiring specific protective equipment and extensive training, posing operational challenges for manufacturers and workers.
Traditional sanding robots rely on rigid, pre-programmed paths and struggle to manage the complex shapes of custom yachts.
The Viam platform will allow robots to adapt in real time, ensuring consistent finishes across a range of yacht sizes and types.
We’ve always embraced innovation that makes us better.
Pat Healey
“Our partnership with Viking represents a major innovation around one of the most challenging aspects of marine manufacturing,” explained Viam founder and CEO Eliot Horowitz.
“We’ve taken a time-consuming, resource-intensive process and made it resoundingly more efficient and scalable.”
The partnership will begin in July 2025 with the companies saying it positions them at the forefront of an industry transformation that prioritises worker safety and smarter production methods to achieve the highest levels of quality.
“This is about improving the way we build boats,” said Pat Healey, president and CEO of Viking Yachts.
“We’ve always embraced innovation that makes us better. If robotics can help our team work smarter, faster and more efficiently, then it’s worth the investment.”
Viking’s current models range from 28 to 90ft, with the vast majority of each yacht built in-house.
