Italian Yard Tour
UK delegates on Italian Yard
Tour
British delegates enjoyed an
informative three day visit to six Italian Yards in the Viareggio
region. The tour, organised by the British Marine Federation (BMF)
and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), kicked off on 19th
May with visits to Rossi, Fashion Yachts, Azimut Yachts, Queens
Yachts, Riva and Yachtplus.
With 45 per cent of the world's
yachts over 24 meters being produced in Italy, the delegates were
provided with an excellent opportunity to see how the Italian
market works. The yards targeted gave an insight of both firmly
established companies and new players in the field.
This is the first time that the BMF
and UKTI have approached the Italian market for a delegate tour,
and all involved noted the potential it has to offer. By
introducing delegates to new markets, organisers hope to provide
contact which may otherwise prove difficult to approach.
The group, accompanied by
representatives from the BMF - Tom Chant, International Commercial
Manager, Nik Parker, Director of Technical and Rob Stevens Chief
Executive - included a variety of UK equipment suppliers such as
Bruntons Propellors, CJR Propulsion and Ocean Medical, service
providers such as law firm Hill Dickinson, insurance companies such
as Underwriting Risk, and design companies represented by BJD. All
gained invaluable knowledge of how interconnected yards and
sub-contractors can be in Italian Yards, where hulls and
superstructures are often sub-contracted for outside companies to
manufacture.
Nicholas Stael von Holstein of
Ocean Medical International said on the event: "A very useful
introduction to the Italian yacht industry, providing a unique
insight of the yards, personnel and purchasing process."
During the course of the tour,
delegates were impressed by the organisation and intensity of
production at the Azimut Yard in Viareggio and Riva in La Spezia.
The group also made a number of valuable contacts, and should now
feel better prepared to seek Italian business opportunities.
Christer Johnansson of BJD
commented: "I was very impressed by the size and efficiency between
yards. It will be a challenge to enter this close environment but
new design input will always offer new exciting products and we
look forward to offering our interior and exterior design
expertise.
Dave Pickering of Servowatch also
added: "Another successful mission organised by the BMF. This was a
very informative tour incorporating a good range of yard visits and
networking opportunities with our UK counterparts