It was designed to be a revolution in boating. And it became one. This spring, Volvo Penta has delivered the 10,000th IPS system since the start in 2005.

Introduction of the Volvo Penta IPS (Inboard Performance System) - the world's first pod system - meant a fundamental change in the marine industry.

With unique technical solutions, Volvo Penta developed a propulsion system that created totally new conditions for boats that until then were equipped with traditional straight shafts.

The key to success is the forward-facing propellers and the individually steerable drive units. These, combined with the system's other advantages, provide the boat superior efficiency and improved features in virtually all areas: fuel consumption, performance, comfort, onboard space, maneuverability and installation. And with the joystick, which makes docking and close quarter maneuvering much easier, boating has become accessible to entirely new customer groups.

Most of the world's leading boat builders quickly adopted the new propulsion system and currently IPS is featured in more than 250 boat models from builders around the world.

In many segments, the traditional straight shaft has entirely disappeared and been replaced by IPS. And this spring, Volvo Penta has delivered the 10,000th IPS system since the start in 2005.

"This is more than the most optimistic calculations we had at launch," says Göran Gummeson, President and CEO of Volvo Penta. "But the advantages with the new system, particularly environmentally, are overwhelming and the industry quickly realized it."

Precisely as with Volvo Penta's other world-unique innovations in the marine industry, such as the Aquamatic sterndrive and Duoprop counter-rotating propellers, other manufacturers have copied Volvo Penta by launching systems similar to IPS - but with lower efficiency.

"When we introduced the IPS system, our assessment was that we had secured a lead of at least five years on our competitors. The actual market scenario to date indicates that this assessment is probably fairly accurate," says Göran Gummeson.

Volvo Penta has continued to develop the IPS concept and this year is unveiling a new and more powerful unit linked to Volvo's 11-liter engine, which means that increasingly more and larger boats can now gain access to all the advantages of the IPS system.

IPS was introduced initially as a twin installation, that is, two drive systems in each boat. However, it quickly became apparent that the system's great flexibility facilitates multi-installations (three and four systems), which consequently means that Volvo Penta can currently offer the IPS system for boats from about 40 feet.