How Willis Custom Yachts Increased CNC Productivity 5X with Siemens NX & Saratech Engineering Solutions
Blog Article | August 17, 2026
Summary
Willis Custom Yachts partnered with Saratech to implement Siemens NX CAD/CAM, creating a fully integrated digital manufacturing workflow that connected engineering and CNC programming. By combining associative CAD/CAM, advanced five-axis machining strategies, custom ISV (Integrated Simulation and Verification) machine kits, and digital twin simulation, Willis reduced CAD/CAM translation errors, streamlined revision management, and enabled reliable lights-out machining. The result was a 5X increase in productivity, a 95% reduction in scrap and rework, up to a 50% reduction in programming time for complex parts, doubled machine utilization, and faster part delivery—demonstrating how integrated engineering and manufacturing solutions can transform custom production.
Key Topics Covered
- How Willis Custom Yachts increased productivity 5X with Siemens NX
- Benefits of associative CAD/CAM for custom manufacturing and engineering change management
- How integrated CAD/CAM reduces translation errors, rework, and revision-related issues
- Using Siemens NX to accelerate five-axis programming for complex geometry
- How Saratech's custom ISV machine kits enable accurate CNC simulation and digital twins
- How digital twin technology supports reliable lights-out machining
- How CNC simulation improves machine utilization and scheduling accuracy
- The business impact of reducing scrap, programming time, and delivery times
- How integrated engineering and manufacturing workflows improve productivity for high-mix, low-volume manufacturers
- How Saratech helps manufacturers optimize engineering and manufacturing workflows with Siemens technology
From Complex Manufacturing Challenges to Measurable Productivity Gains
Building a custom luxury yacht is one of the most demanding manufacturing environments imaginable. Every vessel is unique, thousands of components must work together flawlessly, and late-stage engineering changes are inevitable. For manufacturers, that combination creates significant pressure on both engineering and production.
As Willis Custom Yachts expanded its in-house manufacturing capabilities, its legacy CAD and CAM systems began creating communication gaps that increased programming time, rework, and the risk of costly manufacturing errors. Willis partnered with Saratech to modernize its engineering and manufacturing workflow by implementing Siemens NX CAD/CAM, optimizing CNC programming processes, and developing custom ISV (Integrated Simulation and Verification) machine kits for its CNC equipment. Together, these solutions established a connected digital workflow that helped Willis achieve a 5X increase in productivity, dramatically reduce scrap, accelerate programming, and improve manufacturing efficiency.
The Challenge: Connecting Engineering & Manufacturing
Willis Custom Yachts builds custom sportfishing yachts ranging from 18 to 77 feet, with each vessel comprising tens of thousands of components made from exotic woods, aluminum, and carbon fiber.
Unlike high-volume production environments, nearly every build is unique. Few parts have square edges or flat surfaces. Instead, most components require precision machining of cambers, chamfers, radii, and complex compound curves to tolerances of approximately 0.008 inches.
As the company increased the amount of manufacturing performed in-house, disconnected engineering and manufacturing workflows began creating production bottlenecks.
Challenges Included:
- Legacy CAD and CAM systems operating independently
- Communication gaps between engineering and manufacturing
- Increasing programming demands for highly complex custom parts
- Frequent engineering revisions creating revision control challenges
- Costly rework caused by CAD/CAM translation issues and disconnected workflows
- Limited ability to confidently validate lights-out machining
Willis needed more than new software. The company needed an integrated digital manufacturing workflow that connected engineering, CNC programming, and production while improving accuracy, collaboration, and efficiency.
More Than Software—Integrated Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions
Willis partnered with Saratech to implement Siemens NX CAD/CAM and create a connected digital manufacturing workflow. Beyond software implementation, Saratech worked closely with the Willis engineering and manufacturing teams to optimize CNC programming processes and develop custom ISV (Integrated Simulation and Verification) machine kits that accurately represented the company's machining environment.
By establishing a single source of truth for design and manufacturing, engineers and programmers could work from the same digital model. Engineering changes automatically flowed into manufacturing, allowing programmers to quickly identify affected operations, regenerate toolpaths when necessary, and ensure machinists were always working from the latest approved design.
Saratech's custom ISV machine kits and digital twin capabilities added another critical layer of validation. Willis could simulate machining operations before production, verify machine movements and toolpaths, and identify potential issues before they reached the shop floor. This gave the team the confidence to run lights-out manufacturing through the night, increasing machine utilization and extending production capacity without requiring operators to monitor the machines continuously.
Solutions Included:
- Siemens NX CAD/CAM implementation
- Fully associative CAD/CAM workflows
- CNC programming optimization
- Advanced five-axis machining strategies
- Custom ISV machine kits
- Digital twin development for CNC simulation
- Manufacturing workflow optimization
Rather than simply deploying software, Saratech helped Willis build an integrated engineering and manufacturing environment that improved collaboration, streamlined production, and laid the foundation for long-term growth.
Fast Lead Times & Improved Efficiency Through a Connected Digital Thread
Saratech has been a key partner in implementing our design-to-manufacturing digital thread. Their team’s expert programming, services and guidance significantly shortened our learning curve and accelerated our adoption of new tools. By transitioning from a disconnected toolset—MasterCAM and Rhino—to a fully integrated NX system, we’ve achieved substantial efficiency gains. These improvements have not only expanded our machining capacity and capabilities but also directly contributed to increased sales growth.
- Bill White | Controller for Willis Custom Yachts
Eliminating Communication Gaps with Associative CAD/CAM
One of the biggest improvements came from eliminating the disconnect between engineering and manufacturing. Previously, translating geometry between separate CAD and CAM systems introduced subtle surface inconsistencies that resulted in tolerance stack-up, additional inspections, scrap, and rework. With Siemens NX, CAD geometry remains directly associated with machining operations. When engineering changes occur:
- Updated geometry automatically flows into CAM
- Programmers are alerted to affected operations
- Toolpaths can be regenerated without starting over
- Revision control becomes significantly simpler
Instead of relying on manual communication between engineering and manufacturing, Siemens NX automatically propagates design revisions throughout the manufacturing process. This reduces the risk of programming outdated geometry, minimizes costly manufacturing errors, and ensures production always reflects the latest approved design.
Optimizing CNC Programming for Complex Parts
Connecting engineering and manufacturing was only part of the solution. Saratech also helped Willis improve how complex components were programmed for production.
Using Siemens NX's advanced five-axis machining strategies and parametric modeling capabilities, programmers could generate toolpaths directly from the engineering model rather than recreating geometry for manufacturing.
For many complex components, programming time was reduced by as much as 50%.
Additional efficiencies came from:
- Parametric modeling for complex geometry
- Surface extension and refinement tools
- Advanced feature blending
- Automated machining strategies
- Material nesting for smaller components
These improvements enabled Willis to program complex custom parts faster while maintaining the precision required for luxury yacht manufacturing.
Having the Digital Twin & Being Able to Run a Simulation & Know Exactly What We’re Going to Encounter Allows Us to Run Through the Night, Lights Out.
- Bobby Cody | Director of Manufacturing at Willis Custom Yachts
Custom ISV Machine Kits Enabled Reliable Lights-Out Manufacturing
Another critical part of the project was Saratech's development of custom ISV (Integrated Simulation and Verification) machine kits.
Rather than relying on generic machine models, Saratech created accurate digital twins of Willis' CNC equipment, including the machine setup, tool changers, kinematics, machining envelope, and cutting tools.
Before a program ever reached the shop floor, programmers could simulate the complete machining process inside Siemens NX to validate machine motion, identify potential collisions, verify toolpaths, and generate accurate cycle-time estimates.
This gave the Willis team the confidence to run reliable lights-out machining while maximizing machine utilization and improving production scheduling.
Realize Better Products & Processes for Your Business
The Results
By combining Siemens NX with Saratech's implementation expertise, CNC programming services, and custom ISV machine kits, Willis transformed its engineering and manufacturing workflow.
|
IMPROVEMENT |
RESULT |
|
Productivity |
5X Increase |
|
Scrap and Rework |
95% Reduction |
|
Programming Time |
Up to 50% Reduction |
|
Machine Utilization |
2X Increase |
|
Part Delivery |
50% Faster |
|
Lights-out Machining |
Reliable Digital Validation |
These improvements not only streamlined yacht production but also enabled Willis to expand its machining capabilities into new industries through its growing CNC business.
Why Integrated Engineering & Manufacturing Workflows Matter
Many manufacturers still rely on disconnected engineering and manufacturing processes that require manual communication between design and production. As products become more complex, these disconnected workflows can increase programming time, create revision errors, generate costly rework, and limit production capacity.
By connecting engineering, CNC programming, simulation, and manufacturing within a unified digital workflow, manufacturers can:
- Improve collaboration between engineering and manufacturing
- Accelerate programming for complex parts
- Reduce CAD/CAM translation errors
- Simplify engineering change management
- Reduce scrap and rework
- Increase machine utilization
- Enable more confident lights-out manufacturing
For manufacturers producing highly engineered products, integrated digital manufacturing workflows create measurable improvements in productivity, throughput, quality, and scalability.
How Saratech Helps Manufacturers Improve Productivity
Implementing engineering software is only one part of improving product development and manufacturing performance. Achieving measurable business results requires the right combination of technology, engineering expertise, process knowledge, and practical manufacturing experience.
Saratech provides comprehensive engineering and manufacturing solutions tailored to each organization's needs. Our capabilities span Engineering and Product Development Services, CAD Design Services, Analysis Services, Engineering Software Sales, Implementation, and Support, CNC Programming and Manufacturing Solutions, 3D Printing, Digital Transformation and PLM, Training, Process Optimization, and more. By bringing these capabilities together, Saratech helps manufacturers address complex challenges, improve engineering and manufacturing workflows, and get more value from their technology investments.
Whether you need to modernize engineering processes, optimize CNC programming, improve manufacturing efficiency, connect product data and systems, implement new software, or develop a more connected digital manufacturing strategy, Saratech can help identify the right solutions for your organization. Our team combines engineering experience, technology expertise, and real-world manufacturing knowledge to help you reduce risk, improve efficiency, increase productivity, and achieve measurable business results.
Conclusion
Willis Custom Yachts demonstrates how connecting engineering and manufacturing can deliver measurable productivity gains in a highly customized production environment. By moving from disconnected CAD and CAM systems to an integrated Siemens NX workflow, Willis improved design-to-manufacturing communication, streamlined engineering changes, reduced scrap and rework, and accelerated programming for complex parts.
The solution combined Siemens NX CAD/CAM with CNC programming expertise, custom ISV (Integrated Simulation and Verification) machine kits, and digital twin technology to help Willis digitally validate machining operations before production. This gave the team the confidence to run lights-out machining through the night, increasing machine utilization and expanding production capacity.
The results were significant: a 5X increase in productivity, a 95% reduction in scrap and rework, up to a 50% reduction in programming time for complex parts, and 50% faster part delivery. The Willis success story demonstrates how combining the right technology with engineering expertise and manufacturing solutions can help manufacturers improve efficiency, increase capacity, and achieve measurable business results.
Saratech helps manufacturers go beyond software implementation by combining engineering expertise, Siemens technology, CNC programming and manufacturing solutions, custom ISV solutions, and digital manufacturing capabilities. By connecting engineering and manufacturing workflows, Saratech helps organizations reduce risk, improve productivity, and build more scalable manufacturing operations.
Key Takeaways
- Integrated CAD/CAM connects engineering and manufacturing through a single source of truth for design and machining.
- Associative CAD/CAM helps manage engineering changes by carrying design updates into manufacturing workflows.
- CNC programming expertise can accelerate complex part programming and help manufacturers get more value from advanced machining capabilities.
- Custom ISV machine kits and digital twins enable accurate machining simulation before programs reach the production floor.
- Digital simulation provides the confidence needed for lights-out manufacturing, allowing machines to operate through the night with less manual oversight.
- Connected engineering and manufacturing workflows can reduce scrap, rework, programming time, and delivery times while improving machine utilization.
- Willis achieved a 5X increase in productivity, 95% reduction in scrap and rework, up to 50% reduction in programming time for complex parts, and 50% faster part delivery.
- Digital manufacturing transformation combines technology, engineering expertise, process optimization, and manufacturing solutions to create more scalable production operations.
Sources
- Modern Machine Shop — “Associative CAD/CAM Increases Shop’s Productivity Fivefold”
- Siemens Digital Industries Software — “Modern Machine Shop features how Willis Custom Yachts achieves 5X productivity with Siemens NX CAD/CAM”
