Baltic ‘eco-friendly’ expansion brings company under one roof

Work is advancing on a new building which will more than double the size of Baltic Yachts’ Jakobstad facility as it winds down its ageing Bosund premises where the company was founded 50 years ago.

The 7702m², three-storey building is being erected alongside the company’s existing waterfront yacht construction facility in Jakobstad. Many key departments including Baltic’s CNC operation, joinery, pre-mounting, surface treatment and lamination will be relocated to bring them immediately alongside the yacht construction and assembly halls.

The move will see Baltic Yachts’ 205-strong workforce brought together under one roof, improve efficiency and communication and the speeding up of the yacht building process as well as eliminate the 25km journey between Jakobstad and Bosund.

Like Baltic’s existing facility in Jakobstad, the new building will be owned by Baltic Boat Yard Oy, a separate real estate company jointly owned by the city of Jakobstad and Baltic Yachts.

Baltic says sustainability is key to its design, employing the latest eco-friendly heating and insulation systems including ‘district’ heating from the nearby Alholmens Kraft power station, the biomass-fuelled power station which uses wood-based biofuels from the local timber and pulp industry to supply the local area with both electricity and heat.

The new building will also benefit from arrays of solar panels, feature a 100% recyclable bitumen roof covering, manufactured using processes with a 25% reduction in emissions, and 90% recycled steel beams carrying the first and second floors.

An advanced sealing system used between wall panels means the entire structure, which measures 100m X 35m, will be virtually airtight making it efficient to heat in the winter and to keep cool in the summer.

Baltic Yachts CEO, Anders Kurtén, comments: “This exciting development will improve efficiency by streamlining our yacht building process, bring the Baltic Family together and be a leading example of an eco-friendly industrial unit. To see this coming to fruition during our 50th anniversary year is a great bonus!”

The new building will be connected to the existing facility at one end, so that personnel and materials can easily move between the two. The ground floor will house the CNC department and separate stock rooms for products like Corecell, Nomex, timber and composite raw materials, which need to be frozen.

Lamination, resin and paint storage and a mixing room will also be housed on the ground floor.
The first floor will accommodate joinery, pre-mounting and surface treatment departments and more stock room space. The second floor will house the main ventilation machine room, a canteen, a showroom and a meeting room with a 30-seat capacity.

Baltic Yachts recently announced a contract for a new Baltic 80 Custom which will be launched in 2024.