• Quick Group is closing out a year of milestones with the unveiling of its Intelligent Anchoring System at Metstrade
• The concept employs Quick Group’s recently launched QCentric ecosystem architecture
• Benefits include greater operational awareness, enhanced safety and improved control throughout anchoring operations
• Quick Group will also display an extensive range of products and technologies from its brands across three key booths at the RAI Amsterdam

 
Quick Group is rounding out a year of significant milestones, innovations and strategic growth with the launch of a new paradigm in yachting equipment and operations – the Intelligent Anchoring System. To be announced at Metstrade on 17 November at the RAI Amsterdam, the system represents the next step in the evolution of Quick Group’s expanding integrated technology architecture, which draws on several key innovations introduced to the market throughout 2026.
 
Those milestones began with updates to the Quick Gyro stabilizer range, which has undergone continuous development over the past few years to become more efficient and compact, while delivering enhanced stabilization performance through the optimization of mechanical systems, electronics and control algorithms. That has now been augmented by the launch of a new extended warranty program at the beginning of 2026, doubling the warranty period from two to four years.
 
In early fall, at Cannes Yachting Festival, the Group introduced an expanded range of the QSY brushless proportional thrusters, adding new thruster units and a new 215 mm tunnel to create a cohesive range that covers vessels ranging from smaller boats all the way up to large yachts. These were launched in tandem with Quick Group’s new Pacific control range, a new generation of controls designed to maximize the capabilities of the QSY thrusters while delivering a more intuitive digital user experience and plug-and-play set-up.
 
At the Cannes Yachting Festival, Quick also unveiled QCentric, the Group’s new open and scalable CAN bus-based system architecture that will seamlessly integrate a growing portfolio of Quick Group products such as windlasses, thrusters, as well as external solutions and systems. QCentric serves as the core of a common technological framework designed to connect products and functions, with native support for integration with both Quick Group systems and third-party solutions.
 
Now, the company is set to build on this ecosystem by combining all these advances with core products from the rest of the Quick range, and in particular its windlasses. The aim is to introduce the next stage of smart boating by leveraging QCentric together with the new Pacific W1XL and Pacific W2XL controllers, the latest additions to Quick Group’s Pacific control range dedicated to windlass management. Designed to support proportional control, advanced monitoring and an intuitive user experience, they seamlessly connect the operator, the windlass and boat data for smarter anchoring operations.
 
“We are a global market leader in windlass production and supply, with approximately 30,000 windlasses delivered to OEMs each year,” says Stefano Lenarduzzi, CEO of Quick Group. “While the bulk of the market supplies windlasses which use a simple on-off relay, we have developed proportional motors and a control system that uses data from QCentric and NMEA2000 networks to deliver more control over anchoring operations. We call this our Intelligent Anchoring System.”
 
The system bridges the gap between conventional windlass solutions, typically operated through simple on-off relays, and fully integrated anchoring systems featuring advanced automation and monitoring capabilities. Its true differentiating value lies not only in proportional speed control, but in the seamless integration of proportional actuation, navigation data and anchoring diagnostics. The CAN bus architecture simplifies installation by reducing cabling to a single cable per station, while enabling plug-and-play connectivity and straightforward integration of handheld control devices. All system information can also be accessed and displayed on standard multifunction displays (MFDs) at the helm.
 
The patent pending Intelligent Anchoring System is designed to simplify and enhance every stage of the anchoring process. Before deployment, the system verifies the status of the windlass, chain counter and retention devices, ensuring that all conditions are met for safe operation. During anchor deployment, it continuously monitors chain length, vessel position, speed, heading and water depth, automatically controlling payout speed through smooth acceleration and deceleration profiles. The system also calculates the required scope ratio based on depth and user-defined parameters, helping operators achieve a more precise and consistent anchor set. Real-time feedback and intuitive guidance improve situational awareness throughout the maneuver, while advanced safety logic detects anomalies, unavailable sensors or incorrect operating conditions, allowing operators to intervene at any time. During anchor retrieval, intelligent speed management progressively slows the anchor as it approaches the bow, reducing impacts, mechanical stress and wear on onboard equipment.

“Our objective was to bring greater intelligence and predictability to one of the most critical onboard operations,” says Lorenzo Mongiardo, Chief Technical Officer of Quick Group. “By combining advanced control algorithms with real-time vessel and anchoring data, we have created a system that supports the crew throughout the entire anchoring process, improving safety, awareness and overall user experience.”
 
The system’s scalable architecture means it can be applied to a standalone windlass installation or dual-windlass configurations. Further, its native support within the Quick ecosystem and its ease of integration with third-party solutions through the NMEA 2000 marine network standard opens the door to a fully integrated ecosystem comprising engine controls, thrusters, steering gear, windlasses and anchoring operations.
 
“By improving comfort, safety and control through the entire anchoring process, and by enhancing operator awareness while at anchor, the Intelligent Anchoring System marks a significant step forward for the boating sector,” says Lenarduzzi. “It also represents the next step in Quick Group’s journey toward increasingly connected and intelligent onboard systems. By leveraging the QCentric ecosystem, anchoring becomes an active part of the boat’s digital infrastructure.”

Quick Group will be on hand to discuss its QCentric ecosystem and the first stages of its smart anchoring solution, as well as displaying products from across its many ranges, at three stands in Metstrade from 17 to 19 November. Booths 01.153 and 01.251 in Hall 1 at RAI Amsterdam will feature a broad range of products from the Group’s entire catalogue, including a selection of its new lighting range, the QSY thrusters and the new Pacific controls, doors, hatches and ports from the Nemo range, and more. Quick Group will also be displaying at booth 07.120 in the superyacht hall where it will have several elements from the Sanguineti and Nemo ranges as well as the XR8 windlass, which features on recent launches such as the Azimut 44M.

For more information on the Quick Gyro and QSY thruster ranges, Pacific controllers, QCentric platform, or to arrange a meeting with our team during Metstrade, please contact info@quickgroup.com or marketing@quickgroup.com.