Yamaha Motor Europe has established a new company to develop digital platforms and connected technologies for its marine business.
The new subsidiary, Yamaha Motor Connected Innovation (YMCI), based in Finland, follows on from the acquisition of fleet software platform and intellectual property rights of Finnish boating-focused tech company Skipperi in which Yamaha invested in 2023.
Skipperi’s software strength lies in its ability to develop platforms to provide customers with marine experiences.
The software platform uses the latest digital technology to allow boat clubs to operate subscription-based rental of their boat fleet, with the app enabling users to reserve boats, access harbours, and manage boating trips.
Marine digital solutions
Yamaha says the initiatives align with its CASE strategy (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, Electric) and serve the purpose of building a foundation for further connected technology development by leveraging the acquired digital assets and integrating them in Yamaha’s marine digital solutions.
The operations also meet Yamaha’s aim to increase the sales of its digital platform in the globally expanding sharing market with plans to further develop the software capabilities further over the coming years.
The acquisition and new company is part of Yamaha’s marine business evolvution into an ‘integrated boat business’ to maximise the value of the customer experience.
Yamaha will continue to pursue its Marine CASE strategy and continue to enhance customer value by developing advanced services and next-generation products that leverage digital technology, aimed at serving the diverse lifestyles of its customers.
