It was 1967. The very first Boeing 737s were beginning to fly in the sky, and the Beatles were releasing the single All You Need Is Love. In that same year, on the shores of Lake Iseo, Giovanni Besenzoni founded a small craft business. His specialty?
Nautical components, smart technical solutions to make cruising as comfortable as possible in all aspects. In this sense, all components such as ladders, cranes, walkways and chairs, but one could go on, are indispensable, in the same way as key elements such as water lines or interior spaces. This is because comfort at sea, as well as in port or roadstead, comes through those elements that are so well integrated and devised that we hardly notice they exist. Today, 55 years after its founding, in ports around the world it is incredibly easy to find a crane, gangway, chair and more from this company, the
Besenzoni
.
We visited the headquarters in Paratico, near Sarnico on Lake Iseo, where we were able to see firsthand where Besenzoni products are designed and built, but more importantly what will be new for 2022.
Besenzoni in 2022
Today at the helm of the company is Giorgio Besenzoni, son of Giovanni Besenzoni, who, during a press event, told us about all the new things coming in 2022. Besenzoni has a worldwide presence with 187 representative points in 59 countries. This ubiquity shows how the quality of the work being done in Paratico has over time reached an international audience. How did the company get to this level? With constant research and development work to stay in step (or ahead) of the market. In fact, it is no coincidence that the first electric (non-hydraulic) walkways were introduced to the market in late 2020 by Besenzoni itself(read the article here).
Shipowners, as well as shipyards, are increasingly attentive to the green turn the world is experiencing. Already having such a range means that we have long sensed the direction the market is taking. The series is called BeElectric and already boasts several products in the range: LaPassarella, LaScala, and IlSalpAncora. Also unveiled at the end of 2021 was the latest addition, namely IlTenderLift, new for 2022, dedicated to managing all operations necessary for hauling/launching tenders and jet skis.
The innovative and sustainable aspect of BeElectric’s products lies not so much in having an electric power supply, but mainly in the absence of the hydraulic power unit and oil, which makes the systems quieter and the boats lighter.
Weight reduction leads to a number of “savings,” having fewer pounds on board and lower installation and maintenance costs. This is also complemented by automatic fuel reduction with less impact on the marine environment. Power consumption on board is also reduced precisely because the hydraulic power of the engine is not needed. At the same time, the energy itself is optimized, starting with electronic stress control with less current to avoid excessive stress on the system and structure: it is managed with 24Vdc.
The BeElectric family does not replace what we have seen Besenzoni produce so far.
“Alongside traditional production,” explains Giorgio Besenzoni, president of Besenzoni SpA, precisely, ” which still remains our core business, we are taking very enthusiastic steps toward the design and construction of increasingly environmentally friendly products, because we believe that the issue of sustainability has become unavoidable.”
“This is precisely why,” Besenzoni continued. for many years and on many levels, our intent to act in a socially responsible manner has been directed not only at the production of new items, but also at business processes. We pay attention to the use of resources while limiting the impact on the environment as much as possible. From the more mundane but nonetheless drastic reduction in the use of paper in offices to the decision to completely rethink packaging materials, which have been replaced with more sustainable and equally viable alternatives. We have made upgrades and replacements of machinery with new, less impactful solutions: for example, we use a new water cutting system that does not use mineral oil but electric pumps to avoid pollution and dispersion.”
Unique Besenzoni
Besenzoni in recent years has also started a new division, Unica, dedicated to superyachts, which is gaining in importance over time. In a growing and increasingly demanding market, the company aims to provide custom products from design to manufacture, as well as on-board assembly and after-sales support worldwide.
An example of the potential of this division is the Balcony, a balcony-window that can also be installed towards the bow, at the height of the master cabin, where the curvature of the side tends to make it difficult to customize the boat. Balcony actually consists of a window and a balcony, which can also be moved independently, and which the owner can manage with a touch screen located in the cabin.
About Besenzoni
As early as 1973, the company demonstrated its creative and technical potential by launching the Besenzoni ladder stern platform, at the time seen as a true technological revolution. Years passed, but this vocation for “revolutionary” novelties did not wane. Between ’92 and ’93, the retractable side door became the “1992-1993 Innovative Product” recognized by the Leonardo Da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology in Milan, Italy, and then in 2002, the super-compact Magic davit won the DAME Award from METS Amsterdam, in fact the world’s most important award in marine components. Besenzoni repeated this historic achievement in 2017 with the P400 Matrix pilot chair. Still in 2020, the company proved to be looking to the future with the launch of the first electric walkway with the aim of providing an alternative to the classic hydraulic walkway, a trend confirmed in 2021 and also for 2022 with other components.
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