Benetti’s Livorno shipyard

Benetti is working with the Quinn University Consortium to introduce Artificial Intelligence into the shipyard’s production processes, with an initial focus on four areas of the Custom Operations division.

The Logistics, Planning, Production Engineering and Safety divisions will see the integration of AI-based technologies in the first phase of the project, which aims to upgrade the effectiveness of procedures, raise the level of automation, and increase the quality and reliability of products and services. The new project will get under way at the company’s Livorno site by the end of the year.

Massimo Casoni, Benetti’s General Manager, said: “Investing in innovation is the strategy that ensures we can always offer our clients the best possible product. The introduction of Artificial Intelligence is a significant step forward in the history of yacht building.

“On one side, excellence and attention to detail remain core to the brand. On the other, the adoption of cutting-edge digital solutions will open the way to make processes faster, more efficient and more sustainable, putting us in the best possible position to face future challenges.

“We’re proud of this collaboration with the Consortium, with which we share a sense of belonging to the local area and the vision of a future in which technology adds value to a unique product.”

Quinn has been supporting businesses since 1989 through advanced training and research initiatives, and with which the shipyard has already undertaken a successful project (2022-2024) to synchronise logistics by focusing on horizontal integration in the supply chain.

This work enabled the Consortium to gather and analyse inputs from all corporate functions, with a view to intercepting opportunities for improvement and defining a series of AI-based solutions that will be implemented in the shipyard in the coming months.

They include the integration of automatic controls on the Incoming Material Booking Portal – which will align materials deliveries with the yacht schedule and warehouse availability – and the introduction of the Three-Year Plan Simulator Prototype, which will automatically process complex scenarios and facilitate continuous improvement in key business performance indicators.

The application of AI to the Custom Operations area will bring multiple benefits, including the reduction of errors in manual activities that can be automated, upgrading data-based decision-making capabilities, and cutting manual processing times for semi-finished products in favour of in-house skills developed to address value-added activities.

Ilaria Campana, Quinn’s General Manager, added: “We’re extremely honoured to share this journey with a company like Benetti, which for us means sharing a strategic vision in which technological innovation, people and processes come together to create sustainable value over time.

“Today, Artificial Intelligence is a fundamental lever for driving companies into the future, on the condition that we think of it not only as a tool to improve efficiency but also and most importantly as a force for transformation that can generate concrete, positive impacts on the entire production system.

“That’s why we need an integrated, process-focused approach to deliver excellent performance, protect investments in technology, and foster new ways of working.”

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