"Careful, I'm going out slowly!" Immediately after the loud shout, a team starts moving in the large production hall and with it a 40-foot-long ship. Routine here, because every ship has to be moved from the back row to the front once during production. And yet the action attracts everyone's attention. All work is stopped for the moment in order to reduce the noise level and not disturb the communication between the actors. This takes place via mobile phone, between a boat builder running behind the ship and the driver of the team, to whom she gives instructions.
Also out of line:
We are on Lake Plön, on the site of the Sirius shipyard. Almost 80 employees are working here on fitting out the hulls built according to the drawings of German designer Marc-Oliver v. Ahlen. The deck saloon yachts are known for their solid construction and good quality, and many are used by blue water sailors. "We are basically a craft business that has grown too quickly, which has both advantages and disadvantages," says Johannes Erdmann about the company. The former YACHT editor has been the head of marketing here since the beginning of 2024 and also works in sales.
Sirius yachts to be 100 years old
According to Erdmann, the corporate culture is still characterised by the flat hierarchies of the once small shipyard, but on the other hand there are more and more logistical problems to solve - because the ships from Plön are becoming more and more numerous, larger and more complex. Many of the yachts built in Plön are fitted with bilge keels, for example, which make it particularly easy to dry out.
"We basically have four ships under construction at the same time," says Torsten Schmidt, Managing Director and owner of the company, "two 35-foot and two 40-foot ships." In total, twelve ships are completed each year, the hulls of which are delivered. All other work is carried out by Schmidt's employees. "I want to build ships with my team that we also enjoy sailing on ourselves," he says. Accordingly, the boss attaches great importance to the quality of the deck saloon yachts in which the shipyard specialised in the late 1980s.
"The hulls are supplied by a shipyard in Poland, which also builds the hulls for Axopar," says Erdmann. "We do it this way for space reasons, it's not much cheaper." But as the space in the halls does not allow them to be built here on site, the hulls are imported.
According to Erdmann, the company philosophy is characterised by a love of craftsmanship. Right down to the smallest detail. "We have the ambition here that the ships should live to be 100 years old." Of course, this comes at a price and takes time. The Sirius 35 DS, for example, has a lead time of around two years, while buyers have to wait almost three years for the Sirius 40 DS after placing their order.
Preferably regional suppliers
The shipyard is equipped with modern tools, including a large CNC milling machine. Today, a petite boat builder stands at the machine and cuts wooden components to millimetre precision. To do this, she lifts large panels from the shelf with the air pressure suction system and places them on the milling machine's table. Once she has aligned the wood and called up the plans, all she has to do is press the button and the milling machine starts. After less than a minute, the wooden parts are cut out.
"The CNC is probably the biggest single investment in the company's entire history. With it, we could theoretically cut wood for up to 100 ships during the year," says Johannes Erdmann enthusiastically. However, the size of the site on Lake Plön prevents production from being expanded.
The shipyard selects its suppliers regionally wherever possible. The diesel tanks, for example, are ordered from the Hamburg-based company Tanknologie, while the majority of the stainless steel parts used are sourced from Freudenstein in Flensburg. Sirius relies on fabrics from Elvström for the sail wardrobe. "We can usually offer customers five or six sail options," says Erdmann. "They most often order the 'XRP Cruise' cloth." This is a laminate whose main components are made from recycled polyester.
After the purchase, owners benefit from the proximity to the shipyard
The desire to take sustainability into account when building their yachts has become increasingly important at Sirius. "For example, we use hatch cut-outs from the superyacht sector as core material to reinforce the deck in places where high loads occur, such as in the area of the winches," says Erdmann. "This has both ecological and economic advantages, as the GRP parts would otherwise end up in the rubbish bin." And teak has not been used as a deck covering for a long time. The shipyard favours Flexiteak made of PVC.
The Sirius shipyard sources the masts from Seldén in Sweden, and the rigs are supplied equipped with halyards. For the remaining lines, the boat builders rely on material from Robline. The company has developed its own rope that is tailored to the needs of Sirius' customers. The line, which is designed to be an all-rounder on board and is particularly UV-resistant, is even called Sirius 500.
The shipyard has 15 berths at the Ancora Marina in Neustadt. "Most owners stay in the area for two years with their new ships," says Erdmann. Only then do they feel so familiar with the ships that they take them on worldwide voyages. To help with any problems, the shipyard has its own service team that assists owners with technical questions and problems after the purchase.
Versatile training at Sirius
Lukas Botteck has also already worked in this area. The 30-year-old completed his training as a boat builder specialising in technology at Sirius in 2018. He then went on to study mechatronics at Kiel University of Applied Sciences.
"The trainees are offered a lot here. The ships are built really well and it's fun to work on them."
Botteck continued to work at the shipyard during his bachelor's degree. He will soon be starting his Master's degree. "Officially, I'm currently working as 'Head of Technical Development', so I take care of the content planning for everything that has a cable," explains the technician. In addition to his planning work, he has often helped out in the service team in the past. "At the start of the season in particular, it's common for between 40 and 50 calls to come in," reports Botteck. A certain organisational talent is then required to prioritise and distribute the orders accordingly. He will continue to work at the company while studying for his Master's degree.
Wilko Arndt-Engelbart sits in his office and looks out of the window at the hustle and bustle in the hall, where two 40-foot-long yachts are being built at the same time. Downstairs, people are sawing and screwing, in his office it is quieter. Arndt-Engelbart also completed his apprenticeship at Sirius and will be taken on at the end of his three-year training programme in 2022. Today, the 28-year-old is responsible for the trainees. "I coordinate the trainees' assignments and can be contacted by both them and the trainers if there are any problems," he says. At the end of their training, the apprentices should have completed every station in the shipyard.
"For example, we wouldn't assign three trainees who start at the same time to the same job," says Arndt-Engelbart. "Instead, one would be assigned to prefabrication, one to finishing and one to the exterior, for example."
Why did he decide in favour of the Sirius shipyard almost six years ago? "It was actually because of the health and safety at work," reports the boat builder. "I did a lot of internships back then and some companies didn't provide gloves or gas masks, especially for trainees and interns. But that shouldn't happen and it's completely different here."
Growth of the shipyard is limited - partly desired
Sirius relies entirely on the expertise of its own employees to sell the boats. "We therefore don't have to give a percentage to any dealer," says Torsten Schmidt. And so the entire purchase price goes to the boat builders in Plön. "Of course, we could build fifteen boats a year instead of twelve," says Schmidt. "I wouldn't mind that either and we might even get there one day." At 20 newbuilds, however, a limit is reached at which the system would tip over. "Then we would also have to work with retailers. And then we would have to add their margins to the purchase price on the one hand and, on the other, we would also lose control of customer communication and feedback," says Schmidt, adding with a laugh: "But we don't want that!"
The phone rings in Sven Düsener's office. "If the call comes from our premises, something has broken or the guys can't find a part," he says. This time, however, it's a call from outside. Düsener is responsible for purchasing at Sirius Yachts. The master mechanical engineer had already worked at various shipyards before he finally came to Sirius. "I've always sailed," recalls the 63-year-old. He used to run a bicycle shop in his home town of Münster.
"A lot has happened here in recent years; the introduction of the merchandise management system has made our work much more productive," he says. Previously, we worked with Excel lists, which made things much more complicated.
As in many places: employees wanted
Managing Director Torsten Schmidt is trying to keep the shipyard in safe waters despite the generally tense economic situation in Germany. "We have actually come through all crises quite well in the past," he says. "Even if we weren't quite able to maintain a few of our target prices due to the energy crisis, for example, most customers didn't cancel their orders, but stuck with them." However, a few have also accepted your offer to cancel their purchase due to the higher price.
"We try to grow with every customer request. Because who knows - maybe it can also be adapted to other ships."
"At the moment, we are desperately looking for new employees," says Schmidt, "whether they are trainees, apprentices or career changers." A few years ago, up to 180 applicants applied for vacant training positions at the Plön shipyard, where the five best candidates were selected. That's different today. "Interest in the trade has simply waned," says the 52-year-old master boat builder. The working conditions are good: "In contrast to many other companies, our trainees have a regular work schedule throughout the year. We don't have a tough seasonal operation where you pile up overtime in winter and work it off in summer," says Schmidt. In addition, the apprentices work in a warm hall all year round.
And so they will continue to build yachts that are ordered by customers for worldwide cruising - built with a view of Lake Plön.
