Superyacht refit firm MB92 launches real-time monitoring portal

MB92 Group, a superyacht refit and repair company with shipyards in Barcelona and La Ciotat, has introduced The Bridge. According to Rubén Carmona, IT & digitalisation director, this is a ‘pivotal milestone’ in the company’s digitalisation strategy.

It’s a digital client platform designed to streamline operations and consolidate crucial project data. The company says that this means clients will have ‘unprecedented’ control over their projects, enabling remote access for project stakeholders, including owners, from anywhere in the world.

Developed over the last two years and following a rigorous testing phase, the custom-built portal is part of the company’s ongoing commitment to service improvement.

“It centralises all project-related information, providing stakeholders with real-time access to project progress, communication, and documentation,” explains Carmona. “Clients can use The Bridge to track project milestones, share feedback, and approve quotations seamlessly. By consolidating communication and data in one place, The Bridge reduces the risk of errors and miscommunication, enhancing collaboration and ensuring smoother project execution.”

While plans are already in place to add new functions in the future, the platform initially includes the following features:

• Real-time monitoring of project progress and budgeting
• Request and acceptance of quotations
• Centralised project-related communications, notifications, and messages
• Simplified process for registering warranty claims

MB92 Group made the decision to custom build the platform, opting not to buy an off-the-shelf option as it did not satisfy its unique needs, says Carmona. “We have a deep knowledge base and had a clear idea of how best to leverage this.

“In addition to The Bridge, we’re exploring various technologies such as data analytics, automation, artificial intelligence and IoT solutions. These initiatives are geared towards leveraging our expertise in superyacht refit across our shipyards to streamline operations, foster synergies, and ultimately add value to our clients’ experience.”

Carmona says the main challenges encountered stemmed from the objective to make The Bridge as easy to use as possible, and defining the structure to meet this requirement proved difficult.

“Furthermore, the integration of our other internal systems to run automatically with the platform was another hurdle to overcome. We undertook a rigorous testing phase to troubleshoot and refine the service and we are extremely grateful to all those clients who supported us with this,” he says.

Now the goal is to onboard all projects onto The Bridge. “While this is an ambitious target, we’re implementing strategies and initiatives to encourage adoption and support clients in integrating The Bridge into their projects seamlessly. By working closely with our clients and demonstrating the value proposition of The Bridge, we’re confident in achieving widespread adoption and realising the full potential of the platform.

“We have been using The Bridge over the last 12 months on our projects at both MB92 shipyards and at first were hesitant of another platform,” says Dean Smith, director at Hampshire Marine. “However, we quickly realised that all the contract data was in one place for us to review and the logging of accepted works versus quoted/pending, allowed better evaluation of the project workload and budget performance.”

MB92 Group is currently developing a new dedicated refit centre in the Middle East. Founded in 1992 as Marina Barcelona 92 SA, the group manages approximately 200 projects each year on superyachts up to 180 metres in length and has a growing workforce of 350 employees.

The company recently joined with Pinmar to build a new plastic recycling centre. The 200m2 plastic recycling centre has been commissioned in the Port of Barcelona to manage the recycling of all waste plastic generated during refit projects at MB92 Group’s facilities and other Pinmar facilities. Pinmar is part of GYG Ltd, a global superyacht service and supply group.

The Bridge is also speaking to the company’s sustainability agenda. “While digitalisation carries its own environmental impact,” continues Carmona, “we recognise the potential of initiatives like The Bridge to contribute to our sustainability agenda. By enabling more efficient data management, the insights obtained will further enhance our capacity to make informed decisions that support our broader sustainability initiatives as part of our group strategy.”