Page 24: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (September 2019)

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VOICES: DAVIDE BREVIGLIERI, CEO, AZIMUT YACHTS do BRAZIL ounded in 1969 by Paolo Vitelli, still the main shareholder, the group is present in 70 countries and has a network of 138 sales and service of? ces, bringing together the successful brands Azimut Yachts and Benetti, each

Fserving different market segments. “The Group offers a huge range of motor yachts, with over 45 models in production, from 34 feet to 100 meter super yachts.

In terms of global production units, there are ? ve factories in Italy and one in Brazil.

In Brazil, the production unit was installed in 2010. Currently, Azimut Yachts brand produces yachts between 40 to 100 feet (in Brazil) for the national and international markets,” said Breviglieri.

Brazil has long been an attractive market for Azimut, which has an extensive list of high end clientele in the South American country. “Even long before installing a factory in Brazil, the Brazilian customer has always been very sensitive to branded products that carry the highest quality and Italian excellence. In addition, Brazil has great potential for the nautical market, with a coastline of almost 7,500 km in ad- dition to over 40,000 km of inland waterways, coupled with a climate suitable for navigation during the 12 months of the year. We arrived in Brazil carrying extensive experience in the nautical world and also aiming to contribute to a developing sec- tor,” said Breviglieri.

Sales in Brazil have been historically signi? cant to the Italian yacht builder, and there has also been an upward trend in sales during this decade. According to Mr.

Breviglieri - “Since 2010, sales have grown by 5 to 10% per year. In terms of yacht type, it has been six consecutive years increasing the size of the yachts, models over 50 feet, produced here to ? t the pro? le of our Latin American client who wants a model upgrade, as well as reaching a range of clients that did not feel the re? exes of the crisis. Increasing vessel size also demonstrates the signi? cant development of our technical capacity in Brazil. The production of an 83 foot yacht, for example, which takes about four months to assemble, is four times as complex as a 40 foot boat.”

Azimut Yachts has maintained a pragmatic and proactive management policy since its inception in Brazil. Foreseeing and adapting to different economic scenarios and attracting new clients from the “nouveau riche”. Breviglieri emphasized that -“Thanks to a strategic vision of planning and management, and together with the

Italian headquarters, when we set up our production unit in Brazilian soil, we an- ticipated moments of crisis and economic ? uctuations. This, combined with the un- disputed quality of our products and worldwide brand recognition. In mid-2014, we started the export process, especially to other countries in South America and the

United States. Moreover, in Brazil, we successfully bet on the sale of larger boats di- rected to a speci? c audience (Triple A) that did not feel the effects of the crisis. These factors contributed to maintaining our growth rates year on year.”

The port city of Itajaí in the state of Santa Catarina in South Brazil is one of only a

The Azimut 74-ft. motor yacht cruising at speed.

Inset top left:

The wheelhouse, Sand Oak &

Glossy Ebony Version.

Inset top right:

A cabin, Sand Oak & Glossy

Ebony Version.

24 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • SEPTEMBER 2019

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