23.10.2025
Getting your boat ready for the cold season!
A look behind the scenes: Production planning at BAVARIA YACHTS
The first office tower on the sailboat assembly line is home to our production planning department. Across two offices, the team coordinates one of THE central processes in our shipyard: the construction of our yachts.
In this interview, Claus Horsinka, Head of Production Planning, tells us exactly what it means to plan a yacht, what tasks are carried out here and what the challenges are!
Hello Claus, nice of you to take a moment today. Would you like to briefly introduce yourself and your team?
Of course! We are a team of four in Production Planning. Sonja has the most extensive BAVARIA experience, having been with the company for 16 years, plus Manuel, Philipp and myself - I've been leading the team for four years now. Thanks to these different levels of experience, we have the perfect mix of many years of expertise and fresh ideas.
What tasks do you take on at BAVARIA YACHTS?
Our area of responsibility is quite broad. Essentially, it's about order entry and scheduling as well as the entire production planning. We make sure that the orders run smoothly through the pre-assembly, joinery and assembly lines.
Another important topic is the parts lists, the creation of production orders and the model configurations in the ERP system - we are effectively the interface between sales, purchasing and production. We are also involved in programming and maintaining the online configurator, which allows our customers to customize their yachts, together with the marketing department.
In addition, we take on tasks in the sales back office and are available as a contact for external inquiries. Our goal: a continuous flow of information between sales, customers and production - and ultimately a smooth construction process. In short, our department is involved in almost all areas - and that's what makes it so exciting.
That sounds varied - but surely you also encounter challenges, right?
Oh yes, no two days are the same in production planning. There are always unforeseeable changes - be it due to material bottlenecks, short-term capacity problems or when customer requirements change spontaneously. In such cases, flexibility is required without losing sight of the production costs and, above all, the agreed delivery dates.
What happens after an order for a boat is received?
As soon as an order is received, we look for the next available production slot in consultation with the Operations and Purchasing departments. This slot is then filled with the order. This includes recording the order in the ERP system, creating the order confirmation and generating the production and assembly orders as well as material requirements for the production areas. The order is then included in the production planning and monitored by us via the system until the finished yacht finally leaves our shipyard.
When has a working day gone particularly well for you personally?
A working day in production planning has gone really well when we have been able to find solutions to unexpected challenges and, at the end of the day, with our support, the production areas manage to hand over the yachts in the production plan to logistics ready for dispatch. The feeling of getting everything under one roof on time and efficiently despite the challenges makes us particularly proud.
What should someone bring with them if they want to get started in your team?
We don't have any set training or a specific degree as a prerequisite. What is more important is a combination of technical understanding and business know-how. Knowledge of company organization and management, analytical thinking coupled with an affinity for figures and in-depth knowledge of materials management and production are helpful. Whether you have this through training, a degree or professional experience is of secondary importance.
Thank you, Claus - that was an exciting insight into the heart of our production!
Did you like the article? Do you have any comments or questions?
We look forward to receiving your feedback, suggestions or requests at marketing@bavariayachts.com