Settemari Yacht, Bénéteau’s new landmark in the Northwest
Bénéteau – Our history started over 130 years ago
Bénéteau’s story begins in 1884 in Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, an important sardine fishing port, where Benjamin Bénéteau established the shipyard that bears his name. Initially the shipyard produced fishing boats and was the first in the region to build a motor boat, in 1909.
The 1960s marked the beginning of the decline of fishing, and the Bénéteau shipyard, after some difficulties, decided to build polyester rescue dinghies: a few years later these dinghies would evolve into a truly new market segment, the fishing-cruising segment.
Since the first Paris Boat Show in which Bénéteau participated, in 1965, the shipyard’s glorious history marks some decisive milestones such as the birth of the First in 1976 and the debut of the Flyer range during the 1980s.
Bénéteau – The quality of our production process.
The biggest strategic challenge lies in the proper design of the structure of boats subjected to continuous external stresses and the management and use of composite materials. To withstand varying weather conditions in different environments, materials must possess numerous inherent qualities and be able to maintain them, in the case of often complex assemblies.
The Bénéteau Group has a laboratory that carries out ever more extensive testing to achieve impeccable quality. This unique way of working together with tools developed by Bénéteau for structure calculations gives it a leading position in this area.
His acquired excellence in the use of materials enables him to build boats that are both lightweight and durable. In the 27 000 m2 of the cabinetmaker‘s workshop, tables, doors, steps and furniture, sedges and other decorative parts that lend elegance and sophistication to the interior of each boat take shape, are painted, sanded and created.
Bénéteau – Our commitment to environmental protection.
Bénéteau, as one of the pioneers in this field, was awarded ISO 50001 certification in 2015, certifying that it is committed to developing proper energy use and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and reducing costs.
With geothermal heating, a glazed facade and photovoltaic panels, the new Bénéteau headquarters opened in 2014 is a significant achievement in this area.
In an effort to reduce emissions of air pollutants (VOCs), Bénéteau has also made appropriate investments in its industrial processes: the latest composite materials processing workshop essentially accommodates pollutant-free processes.