How Lightwave Yachts Optimised Manufacturing Planning and Production Scheduling with Envertis
Advanced Manufacturing Planning & Forecast-Driven Production Management
"How Lightwave Yachts Built a Forecast-Driven Manufacturing Planning System for Custom Vessel Production"
Client Overview
Lightwave Yachts Australia is one of Australia's most respected luxury catamaran manufacturers. Founded in 1996, the company designs and manufactures custom-built cruising catamarans and remains one of Australia's leading production catamaran builders.
Every vessel is built to order with extensive customisation options, creating unique manufacturing planning and production scheduling challenges.
Business Challenges
Lightwave Yachts operates in a highly customised manufacturing environment where every vessel is built according to customer requirements.
Unlike traditional manufacturing operations, production planning involves long lead times, custom configurations, material planning and capacity management across multiple production stages.
The organisation required greater visibility and control over manufacturing planning processes.
Long-Term Production Forecasting
The business needed to plan manufacturing activities months in advance while balancing:
- Customer demand
- Production capacity
- Material availability
- Workforce planning
Without accurate forecasting, planning became increasingly difficult.
Master Production Scheduling Challenges
Managing multiple vessel builds simultaneously required:
- Resource allocation
- Production sequencing
- Capacity planning
- Delivery commitments
The business needed a centralised Master Production Schedule (MPS) to support planning decisions.
Material Planning Complexity
Each vessel requires thousands of components and materials sourced from multiple suppliers.
The organisation required improved visibility into:
- Material demand
- Procurement requirements
- Lead times
- Stock availability
Production Cycle Visibility
Management required real-time visibility into:
- Production stages
- Work center utilisation
- Manufacturing progress
- Project timelines
This information was critical for maintaining delivery schedules.
Manual Planning Processes
Many planning activities relied on spreadsheets and manual coordination, making it difficult to:
- Simulate production scenarios
- Respond to changes quickly
- Forecast future capacity requirements
Why Envertis
Lightwave Yachts selected Envertis because of its deep understanding of complex manufacturing environments and ability to customise planning processes around real business requirements.
Key reasons included:
Solution Delivered
Envertis implemented a comprehensive manufacturing planning framework that connected forecasting, procurement, production planning and execution into a single platform.
Master Production Scheduler (MPS)
A customised Master Production Scheduling system was implemented to provide management with long-term visibility into manufacturing operations.
Key capabilities included:
- Monthly production planning
- Production forecasting
- Capacity planning
- Resource allocation
- Schedule optimisation
This enabled proactive planning rather than reactive decision-making.
Forecast-Driven Manufacturing Planning
The solution introduced forecasting mechanisms allowing management to:
- Predict future production demand
- Plan material requirements
- Allocate manufacturing resources
- Improve production readiness
Auto-Replenishment Planning
To support uninterrupted production operations, Envertis implemented automated replenishment processes.
Capabilities included:
- Material forecasting
- Procurement recommendations
- Safety stock management
- Replenishment planning
- Supplier planning visibility
This improved material availability while reducing planning effort.
Production Cycle Management
The platform provided visibility across the complete production lifecycle.
Management could monitor:
- Production stages
- Work orders
- Resource utilisation
- Manufacturing progress
- Delivery schedules
Manufacturing Analytics & Reporting
The solution delivered real-time dashboards providing insights into:
- Production performance
- Forecast accuracy
- Capacity utilisation
- Material planning
- Schedule adherence
Key Business Outcomes
Following implementation, Lightwave Yachts significantly improved planning visibility and manufacturing coordination.
Business Impact
Before vs After
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Spreadsheet-driven planning | Centralised manufacturing planning |
| Limited forecasting visibility | Forecast-driven planning |
| Manual production scheduling | Master Production Scheduler |
| Reactive procurement planning | Auto-replenishment planning |
| Limited capacity visibility | Real-time capacity planning |
| Delayed production insights | Live manufacturing dashboards |
| Manual coordination across departments | Integrated planning processes |
Business Impact Snapshot
From Reactive Scheduling to Predictive Manufacturing Planning
One of the most significant outcomes of the project was the introduction of a customised Master Production Scheduling framework.
By combining forecasting, production planning, procurement and manufacturing execution into a single platform, Lightwave Yachts gained the ability to make informed planning decisions months in advance while maintaining visibility across the entire production lifecycle.
This transformed manufacturing planning from a reactive process into a strategic operational capability.
Why Australian Manufacturers Choose Envertis
Facing Similar Challenges?
If your manufacturing business struggles with:
- Production forecasting
- Capacity planning
- Master Production Scheduling
- Material planning
- Auto replenishment
- Manufacturing visibility
- Production cycle management