Firing on all cylinders

If 2016 was about an export-led recovery, 2017 promises to be the year the domestic market helps consolidate Italian market growth.

- Antonio Vettese

​The motorboat sector is experiencing secure growth. The shipyards that survived the crisis have taken off again, particularly those that know how to innovate and offer models adapted to the market. The production model,however, has changed slightly. Whereas in recent years the biggest groups sought to centralise and supervise their production, implementing substantial production units, many are now using leaner structures with the goal of minimising the costs of doing business. Some facets of the production chain are managed through outsourcing, allowing them to better adapt investments and to be more flexible in responding to the market.

A good barometer of Italian motorboating was the Düsseldorf Boat Show, where Hall 6 showcased an ample assortment of Italian manufacturers who consider the “old” European market once again solid and a legitimate resource.

Sanlorenzo is one of the shipyards that responded best during the crisis years,demonstrating a significant capacity for innovation. According to general manager Ferruccio Rossi: “After nearly seven years of deep crisis, since the second half of 2015, the Italian market has reversed its trend and as of 2016 has consolidated this recovery. Italian clients, albeit cautious, are back. In addition, the substantial quantity of pre-owned boats that had materialised at the beginning of the crisis has been reabsorbed. They were in indirect competition with the new boats that we have finally begun to build.”

Commenting on the export market, Rossi says:“The big transatlantic markets had shut down and the shipyards were sustained by those of the East and Southeast Asia. More recently, these markets have contracted and the traditional Western European markets have returned.”