The heart of Ophardt Maritim has been beating for aluminium boatbuilding for over 10 years. The success story is lying in the past.
Hermann Ophardt, a lifelong entrepreneur and innovator, earned his degree as a Naval Engineer in 1958. After graduating, he spent two years working in the maritime business.
By 1960, Hermann‘s desire for independence lead him to form his own engineering consultancy firm. There he developed the first device capable of dispensing alcohol-based hand sanitizer without leaking.
This breakthrough gave Hermann the incentive to take the manufacturing of his products into his own hands. Today Ophardt Hygiene AG is a multinational, 100% family-owned, corporation with decades of experience in high-volume manufacturing of metal and plastic products. While the companies of Ophardt Hygiene AG deal with high volume production, the company philosophy centers around localized production in the markets it wishes to serve. Today the Ophardt Group has several manufacturing locations in seven countries around the world including the Philippines, Ireland and Switzerland and approximately 450 employees.
With an extensive investment in research and development, the Ophardt Group has brought up a range of patents and innovations.
In 2006 Hermann felt the need to return to his roots as a naval engineer. He handed his Ophardt Hygiene related businesses to his eldest son and founded the new, innovative Ophardt Maritim brand.
Incorporating his manufacturing experience from Ophardt Hygiene, Hermann developed a patented boat chassis that would enable high-volume, precision manufacturing of aluminium hulls. Ophardt Maritim uses the patented technology DuplicAl® to allow for series production of robot-welded aluminium hulls that outperform every production hull in their category, while staying cost competitive. The company is capable of producing 8-15 meter aluminium hulls.
OPH (Ophardt Precision Hull) Modules are welded by advanced robots. They are tank and prototype tested and have attained performance standards unmatched in the naval manufacturing industry. The capability of replicating advanced automotive manufacturing quality was the breakthrough for Ophardt Maritim.
What we do
We manufacture on the next level of boatbuilding, and can offer a solution to companies missing a competitive edge in consistency, performance, and innovation. Ophardt has successfully adopted the automotive industry’s proven approach of modular manufacturing and automation.
Any existing designs – whether entire boats or components - Ophardt Maritim can quickly render, replicate, optimize, and manufacture in series.
Our technology
Our patented production method DuplicAl® is the heart and soul of Ophardt’s outstanding ability to make boatbuilding predictable.
DuplicAl® represents an efficient and effective engineering solution that embodies our vision to push industry standards. It is a combination of modern facilities, robotics, machines and software that are designed to work together to deliver identical boats – with the same performance, consistency, quality, and price structure – no matter the volume.
Instead of using expensive physical molds, we use iterative virtual molds, which allow for quick adjustments and prototyping.
With our automation solution, we are able to significantly boost both productivity and quality of our boat production. Our method is fast, accurate, reliable and flexible. The result are robust aluminium boats that are built to last — with maximum joint strength and torsional stiffness.
Advantages of DuplicAl®
• lightweight modular construction
• patented preassembling system
• all components are perfectly matched and aligned
• semi-skilled workers can assemble components quickly and easily before welding
• highest quality control
• lowest manufacturing tolerances
The advantages of this process, combined with Hermann Ophardt’s roots in manufacturing, have directed the large portion of Ophardt Maritim’s efforts toward Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM) for the boatbuilding industry.
Our mission is to build the best aluminium boats for our customers and to revolutionize the boatbuilding industry by pioneering advanced manufacturing processes in the sector.
Triple Tech method
In addition to DuplicAl®, our production benefits from Ophardt’s Triple Tech method. This innovative aluminium manufacturing process combines welding, bolting and gluing operations in order to maximize joint strength and torsional stiffness, while minimizing crack corrosion.
Smart robotic welding -
Precision processing from any angle
With our highly dynamic robotic weld arms, with seven axes, we can work on our hulls from any angle - this allows us to align components quickly and precisely, for a perfect weld every time.
Parallel welding with travel-speed of up to 1,5m per minute (0,3 meter by hand)
Quickly and precisely aligned components
Perfect welds form the basis of reliable quality
Inside and outside, accurate and tight welding on joints
Why to work with us?
Ophardt Maritim serves the global leisure and professional boat market with the unique advantage of comprehensive in-house aluminium construction. Design, engineering and production - from initial concept to full serial production – Ophardt Maritim offers the complete solution.
Our competencies and resources include:
Conceptualization of completely new hull and boat designs
Adaptation of GRP superstructure into aluminium hull designs
Optimization and analysis through advanced computational systems
Crossover engineering and advanced engineering methods
Prototype building and testing
Building according to class and rule bodies
