BOERO YACHT PAINT
TECHNOLOGY & PROFESSIONALISM
Today's global nautical market and the fierce competition that
characterises it demand that companies constantly develop their
products and their marketing and financial strategies. The test
bench is always the highest possible quality and yet prices must
be contained. This applies to all operators, from the suppliers
of raw materials to shipyards, from producers of accessories to
companies specialising in paint, etc. This interview with Luca
Serventi, from Boero's Super Yacht Division, gives us an insight
into how Boero deals with product quality, market strategy,
marketing policies, etc. Boero is one of the best known, most
acclaimed Italian brands of paint and related products.
What strategies does Boero use to ensure its market share?
Being always attentive to the needs of the customer, whether it
is a question of the final user, a shipyard or applier,
developing innovative cycles and high-technology procedures and
products so as to guarantee the best results conforming to the
high quality standards demanded by the market.
Your brand of paint is a trusted reference for European
shipyards and pleasure-boat owners. What have been your most
winning products, the ones that made your reputation?
In the pleasure-sailing sector, undoubtedly our anti-fouling
paint, Altura 619, the most sold, distributed on five continents,
conforming to local standards. In the superyacht segment, we owe
our success to our painting cycle, characterised by ease of
application and versatility of use on any type of material. Our
successful products in this area include Delta 2000, an all-round
epoxy primer, Epolight, which is an epoxy filler, the lightest in
the world, easy to sand and in line with shipyards' design
requirements (shipyards are constantly trying to make their boats
lighter and yet more performative). And then there is the
extraordinary enamel, Challenger Hi-Tec.
As a European company at the top of its sector, what do you
consider to be your home market? In which markets have you become
the leader?
Since 2000, Italy has been the world leader in the building of
superyachts. It is also our reference market. And we are the
leading company.
You have to do mostly with shipbuilders, whose Achilles' heel
is often the finishing of their boats, especially the larger
ones, such as the superyachts. Is there a product they are
dreaming of? What are you able to offer them and what are you
preparing for the near future?
Both shipyards and appliers have always dreamed of a single,
complete cycle provided by a single consultant. As of 2000, with
the development of the enamel we call Challenger Hi-Tec, that
dream has become a reality. The extraordinary shininess and
durability of this paint meets the requirements of prestigious
boats such as the 25-meter "Peace in the Word", the 24-meter
"Angi", the 36-meter "Sea Wish", all the way up to the Perini
Navi Shipyard's 64-meter sailing yacht, "Felicità West".
Anyone who invents something new and effective is always
immediately imitated and copied. How do you defend your patents?
Are you worried about China?
Our continual laboratory research means that our quality is
constantly "moving" and that our products are difficult to clone.
Our results are the product of years of experience and thousands
of square meters of boats protected. In any case, we were in
China last April, when we presented at the Shanghai Boat Show.
We visited various yacht builders. Mainly, we have been asked to
work with various Chinese operators.
Is Boero in the USA? And where outside of Europe?
Yes, we are in partnership with Kop Coat in the USA and in
Australia and New Zealand with Altex. We have made commercial
agreements with these companies for the distribution and sale of
our products as the international brand, "Boero SuperNavi",
intended for both new boats and super-yacht refits all over the
world. We have distributors in 18 other countries, including
Dubai, Tunisia and Turkey.
What is your marketing strategy?
To work closely with the most prestigious shipyards in order to
provide quality products for traditional pleasure-sailing.
Italian leadership as a strong point. A market approach based on
simple, concrete terms.
How do you remain in contact with shipyards and owners?
As far as shipyards are concerned, whether for new building or
refits, our sales force and technical staff visit them almost
daily, thus ensuring a constant flow of information, updated in
our computer system. For owners, we provide easy-to-understand
yet detailed technical manuals at our numerous points of sale and
during major trade fairs around the world. This is supported by
on-line information on our web site: www.boeroyachtpaint.com.
What is Boero Bartolomeo's relationship to the market?
The guiding principle in recent years has been to go beyond the
concept of product, of a company producing and selling, and to
offer ourselves as a company which develops its strategies by
means of research, production, distribution and technical
support, all focused on products to protect boats. In short, the
company has proven to be a unique and valued consultant in its
sector, appreciated for personalised service.
What value does the human factor have in your internal
organisation?
The Boero family has been running Boero Bartolomeo S.p.A. since
1831. We are now in the fifth generation. This means that all of
our personnel feel part of this large family. The Yachting
Division has grown, its management has proven itself in the
field, in close collaboration with shipyards. Sometimes, people
say to us that "the Boero men are part of every micron of paint".
Boat = Queen. Is this your credo?
"Princess" rather than "Queen", because our mission is to make
her beautiful and to protect her.
In the last 15 years the refit sector has grown incredibly, to
the extent that many shipyards do more refits than new building.
Does the same apply to you?
The versatility of our cycle means that we are able to do a total
refit of a classic wooden sailboat from 1920, such as the
"Lulworth" built by the Classic Yacht Darsena Shipyard in
Viareggio, or to be part of the work on new boats, such as the
"Maltese Falcon", an 87-m aluminium and steel sailboat built by
Perini Navi Shipyards and equipped with innovative and highly
technological carbon masts. In the last 20 years, we have
"dressed" more than 400 super-yachts from 24 to 120 meters long,
92% of them new. On the basis of this work, we believe that we
have the experience to be able to deal with the refits now
required by the large fleet of super-yachts in the world. It
suffices to think that every 4 to 5 years at the most, a
"princess of the sea" needs a "beauty treatment".
Are you thinking about opening up in new areas?
Our company currently has three production sites. Since we want
to grow and succeed in new market areas, we are designing a new,
technologically avant-garde production site. Our competitive
development, however, does not depend on a new plant, but is the
result of the strength of an enthusiastic, cohesive group.
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