Innovations are extremely important for the further development of the yacht industry. But how do manufacturers know in advance which ideas will prove effective or which products will actually add value compared to conventional processes? With the AZ project, a 30-metre yacht hull, International Maritime Research GmbH & Co. KG (IMR) is for the first time now offering a platform to test innovative products and processes under real world conditions.
The AZ project, initiated by Kay-Johannes Wrede's newly founded company IMR, currently comprises several research projects, funded in part by the German Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWI).
Among other things, it is concerned with the development of special heating technologies for modular composite components in shipbuilding. Another project involves an innovative coating for yacht hulls. This process is tested on one side of the hull against innovative filler technology on the other side of the hull. Other project ideas, e.g. for modular interior finishing, are in the planning stages.
IMR is making the hull available as a floating laboratory for all of the research projects. Wrede Consulting will be supporting all of the processes in an advisory capacity, while Wrede Technologies is responsible for the laboratory and metrological analyses.
A consortium of six international companies is involved in current project development. “The goal is to use IMR to become a driving force for innovation in the superyacht industry,” says Kay Wrede.
