12:50 AM Tue 13 Apr 2010 GMT
YANMAR is the official sponsor of YANMAR Racing, a professional sailing team led by Peter Gilmour. renowned around the world as a Match Racing skipper.
Since 2009, YANMAR Racing has been participating in the World Match Racing Tour (WMRT), a series of international match racing regattas certified by the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) along with America's Cup and the Volvo Ocean Race.
The World Match Racing Tour is the leading professional match racing series featuring 10 Championship events across the world.
In 2009 the team won Match Cup Sweden held in Marstrand, Sweden and finished fourth overall in the annual ranking. Peter Gilmour is in fact the only multiple World Match Racing Tour champion.
YANMAR produces marine engines in Japan and the Netherlands, and distributes them to the international markets of sailboats, powerboats, commercial vessels, and ocean-going vessels.
In February 2010, Peter Gilmour, the team skipper, and Yasuhiro Yaji, the team pitman and team organiser, visited YANMAR's Tsukaguchi Plant in Japan, where mostly powerboat engines are produced, as well as Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg., Co., Ltd, which specializes in marine gears and transmissions.
The factory tour was a complete success and, according to Mr. Gilmour, 'The first thing that amazed me was the scale of the operations. I took a particular interest as my early years were spent at university studying mechanical engineering and learning about internal combustion engines'.
He was particularly impressed with the meticulousness of the manufacturing process:
'Here we saw engine blocks, crankshafts, pistons, big ends, small ends, in row after row. 'But the most amazing aspect was how carefully each motor was assembled and prepared. The whole factory, over several hectares, with the many CNC machines all precisely working away to produce a small part of an incredible end product... We viewed 15HP motors all the way up to 800HP generators.
'Clearly YANMAR has a very great emphasis on quality, as the care that each employee took in preparing the parts, assembling or finishing was remarkable.
'We walked away after a two hour tour commenting that each motor is individually prepared and cared for as though it is their own, and this is before it is sold!'.
Mr. Yaji was equally impressed: 'The factory is very clean and tidy; it is like a precision instrument factory! Most engines were assembly made. but, it looked like some special engines were custom made! After completed engine units were moved to the dynamo bench, all units were tested and checked for rpm and horsepower. This is very important for durability.'
Devoted fans of the YANMAR engines throughout their career, they ended the factory tour with nothing but praise for YANMAR: 'It really was a wonderful experience to know more about the YANMAR family; it gave a whole new meaning and purpose to the YANMAR Racing!'
The 2010 Match Racing season started last week with Match Cup France. The event was raced in small boats and strong winds did not suit the YANMAR Racing team style.
Now YANMAR Racing is looking forward to Match Race Germany, from May 19th to 24th 2010, an event they have won three times before.
For more news and information on YANMAR Racing, please visit:
www.yanmar.co.jp/en/racing/
To discover more about the World Match Racing Tour see:
www.worldmatchracingtour.com
And to discover more about YANMAR Marine go to:
www.yanmarinemarine.com
by Tomoko Murata
Click on thumbnails to enlarge and find more photos:
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Manly, QLD
