- Accelerating new digital platform development to offer Kando experiences on the water -
Yamaha Motor is pleased to announce it has invested in Skipperi, a Finnish IT startup company that operates Skipperi Fleet, the largest subscription-based boat club in Northern Europe.
Skipperi is an IT company that leverages its self-developed digital platform to deliver enjoyable marine experiences to customers, and its other pursuits besides its core business of Skipperi Fleet include a P2P rental business* and promoting marine safety. Utilizing its digital technologies, the company has successfully reduced the labor required to operate a boat club, such as making boat rentals possible entirely through online systems. Furthermore, Skipperi is continuously working to further develop the system with AI and by acquiring data from daily operations.
The aim of this investment in Skipperi is to strengthen Yamaha Motor’s development capabilities for its digital transformation, which continues to gain speed within the marine industry. Yamaha Motor sees Skipperi as a strategic partner to develop digital platforms for sharing-based businesses in order to respond to the globally expanding sharing economy.
Yamaha Motor’s Marine Long-Term Vision is to provide “a reliable and rich marine life” that further increases the value of the ocean by implementing its Marine CASE Strategy. Going forward, Yamaha Motor will aim to offer Kando** experiences on the water that match the diverse lifestyles of customers by continuing to develop higher-value-added services and next-generation products.
* A person-to-person system enabling the direct lending and borrowing of vessels.
** Kando is a Japanese word for the simultaneous feelings of deep satisfaction and intense excitement that we experience when we encounter something of exceptional value.
