2021. Marco Valle: “We set a winning course.”

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We charted a winning course

From Boats by Motor 2021, no. 19, June-July, pp. 52-58.

An updated product range. An innovative approach. And a long-term strategic vision. Azimut Yachts drops its aces.

This time the signs are all there. And they are going in the same direction. The sea, the boat and, more generally, boating have become the first choice, the escape route, the ideal place to find some serenity from the devastating effects generated by the pandemic and the resulting health crisis. Not only that. This particular moment in history has allowed a public that until yesterday had no knowledge of boats to approach this recreational activity that, in spite of many others, is certainly safer and guarantees that distancing that has become an indispensable prerogative. A desire for the boat that has become increasingly an imperative today and that on the strength of numbers projects Azimut-Benetti to center stage. Yes, because the Avigliana-based group, with its 1.3 billion euro order book, is traveling to levels reached only before the 2008 crisis. Numbers that do not arrive by chance, but which confirm the goodness of a path in which Azimut-Benetti has distinguished itself for a quality of offer unique in its kind and above all capable of satisfying even the needs of customers at their first nautical experience. A game this where Azimut Yachts has also played its part. If 2020 was the year of the Magellan, sealed with the debut of the new 25-meter flagship, 2021 opened with the launch of the 53 Fly, a model that also consolidates the Avigliana shipyard’s position in the sub-24-meter flybridge boat segment. A piece, the latter, that is part of a broader and more articulated strategy as Marco Valle, CEO of Azimut-Benetti Group, explains in the interview he gave to Barche a Motore.

Let’s talk about the Azimut Yachts brand and start from the present. We are living in a historical moment in which, in your opinion, boating plays a central role. What signals are coming for the industry from this 2021?
“It was thought it could go well, but not as well as it is actually happening. An unexpected trend above any wildest predictions. Not least because last year, at the height of the pandemic, the sector in the summer had filled up what was left on the ground in the first months of 2020. A ray of light accompanied by many unknowns. The lack of boat shows, the inability to move, the uncertainty related to the timing for the arrival of vaccines-all this did not help in putting together medium- to long-term strategies. That is why, despite the positive signs, there still reigned some mistrust about whether the good trend would hold. Then, however, reality told us a different story.”

Which one in detail?
“The positive trend has not only stabilized, but between the end of 2020 and in this first part of 2021 it has further accelerated significantly.”

How do you interpret this trend and what are the reasons behind it? In light also of what has happened in the past, isn’t there a risk of a bubble effect that is destined to fade away?
“Just a few weeks ago I crossed the 25-year mark at Azimut. I have experienced several nautical seasons marked by cycles of great euphoria alternating with crises that, within a short time, hit the industry hard. In this case, however, even with all due caution, we are experiencing something completely different. Hardships, limitations, and renunciations have played a key role and brought out an almost physiological need to find a safe space to inhabit again. The very perception of time has changed and consequently so has its quality. All this has led to some reflections. Living indoors and isolated allowed first of all to rediscover the importance of establishing physical contact with the outside environment. A sense of freedom that on a boat is infinitely amplified. This is the central point. The boat proved to be the best antidote. It made it possible to return to feeling free in the company of loved ones and family and to experience a quality of life that, in terms of experience, touches its highest point precisely on board a boat. Factors that turned out to be crucial because they imparted a formidable acceleration to the buying process on the one hand and then helped to bring in a new clientele on the other.”

Speaking of buying, how have you coped with the absence of boat shows or events in attendance? Has it been an additional obstacle in an already complex environment?
“In part, yes. In our case, we took advantage of the window that opened last year in September to present the new 25-meter Magellano in Portofino, an occasion that also allowed us to invite a select number of customers to discover the Group’s new products. The almost total blackout of boat shows led us to take alternative routes to keep communication channels open with both customers and the dealer network. A context in which technology has come to our aid, starting precisely with digital tools. However, the fact remains that buying a boat is above all an emotional experience. That’s why on models in the range there is no technology that holds: the customer wants to touch the product. If, on the other hand, it is a new project, and still only on paper, the level of involvement is different. In this case, the owner experiences a different enthusiasm. He feels gratified in working alongside the shipyard along this new path for both of them.”

How have customer needs changed?
“We have seen in recent times, for the reasons already expressed, a very strong interest in the range up to 60 feet. In our case, to meet the great demand, we have had to revise our production lines. Then there is the great impetus coming from outboard engines to consider. We were among the first to intercept this trend, which was born a few years ago in the United States, first introducing the Verve 40 and, later, the 47-footer.”

And on the topic of innovation instead?
“A lot has also changed here. In our case we have given a new key to this term that encompasses many meanings. Beginning with production processes that benefit from the enormous engineering work done at the design stage, and continuing with increasingly cutting-edge technologies and construction methods. Then there is the issue of materials, such as carbon, which is increasingly used to make some parts of the models in the range. This is only part of the reasoning. II leap forward in recent times has been to direct technology and innovation to improve the on-board experience. Not surprisingly, we were among the first to espouse the Assisted Docking system developed by Volvo Penta. But innovation also lies in studying living solutions that pander to a new boat lifestyle with spaces that are increasingly flexible in terms of use and where contact with the sea has become indispensable.”

And then there is the issue of design? Have you had your say here as well?
“The arrival of the Azimut 53 Fly underscores the yard’s desire to explore new aesthetic and stylistic languages. Hence the strongly desired choice to entrust the talent and flair of Alberto Mancini with the task of giving an increasingly contemporary and current reading to the way of experiencing the boat, unhooked from the concept of riding a fashion of the moment. The reception this model has received has confirmed to us the goodness of the road taken. To date, the first available unit is in October 2022. II 2021 will celebrate another important moment for Azimut Yachts, as it will see the debut of the new Trideck. Signed by Alberto Mancini for the exteriors and Achille Salvagni for the interiors, with its 38 meters in length it will be the largest built in the shipyard’s history.”

By Matthew Zaccagnino

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