Inside a Custom Yacht Factory - Taiwan’s Mega Factories

Reporter/Provider - TaiwanPlus
Publish Date -
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Have you ever wondered how the world’s grandest yachts are made? Step inside a Taiwanese mega factory that produces some of the most customizable yachts in the world. This episode documents the entire yacht production process, from design to mold making, fabrication, joinery, and testing. Come witness the shipbuilding expertise that makes Taiwan one of the top yacht producers in the world. Taiwan is the world’s fourth largest yacht producer, and the island is second to none in Asia’s yacht building industry. In this documentary, we interview experts to discover how Taiwan developed its superior expertise. The island’s shipbuilding industry started during the Qing dynasty with wooden sampans used for transportation along Taipei’s Tamsui River. Over the years, shipbuilding in the region expanded into other materials, and eventually into high-end leisure craft. Today, the port city of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan is home to one of the top yacht shipyards on the island: Horizon Yachts. Horizon has set itself apart from other global yacht companies by producing and marketing its own products. The company works directly with retail customers, and they offer a high degree of customizability when it comes to the interior layout and design of their yachts. Horizon’s yacht interiors are entirely bespoke. This makes their products much more labor- and time-intensive to produce than those of most competitors, who utilize pre-built components and assembly line techniques to optimize their production quantities. This factory tour takes viewers through the entire process of manufacturing a custom yacht named the “Ocean Lily.” The yacht starts as a design on a computer. Based on these detailed plans, custom molds are created using machines that allow for great customizability. After the molds are complete, workers lay high-tensile fiberglass into the molds and apply resin using the “Vacuum Infusion Process” developed by the U.S. Navy. After hull fabrication, the joinery process begins, which constitutes about 70% of the entire yacht production process. During joinery, the wiring, ventilation, interior decor, and built-in furniture are constructed and installed inside of the yacht. Throughout this process, we observe how plumbers, electricians, and woodworkers transform the empty hull into a polished and livable craft. After on-land leak testing, the finished yacht is transported to the ocean for its final testing before it is delivered to the client. Join TaiwanPlus on a factory tour of epic proportions to see how Taiwan makes custom yachts a reality for satisfied customers around the globe.

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Taiwan's Mega Factories

Taiwan's business landscape is full of world industry leaders. Each episode focuses on a single factory, using real footage and animations to bring viewers into the factory to witness the secrets to their success.