A total investment of 150 million, spread over three nautical years (ranging from September to the following August), between 2023 and 2026, and divided across the three brands of the group (Azimut, Benetti and Lusben), for the strengthening of the structures industrial and the strengthening of information technology as well as assets linked to ESG strategies. With this economic commitment, Azimut Benetti, the company headed by the Vitelli family and the number one manufacturer of yachts over 24 metres, is moving towards the goal of producing increasingly greener boats, starting with the new collection Seadeck, whose first example, measuring 17.5 metres, was officially presented to the public yesterday in Milan during an event linked to the design week. Among the group’s targets, also to facilitate the production of the new series of yachts, which includes the Seadeck 6 (17.5 metres), the 7 (21.7 metres) and the 9 (26 metres), there is the objective of transforming, in short, the headquarters in Avigliana (Turin) into a 4.0 factory.
From this perspective, explains Marco Valle, CEO of Azimut Benetti, of the total investment undertaken, «two thirds, equal to approximately 100 million euros, are destined for the Avigliana site. Not only to implement the production process of the Seadeck series, in order to increase production capacity by 25%, in terms of length of the boats built, but also for sustainable investments with a view to ESG policies and investments aimed at product development”. Seadeck, Valle continues, «is not just a new model for us: it will be the spearhead of the new Azimut collection; on the one hand we will have Grande, which are boats over 24 meters (produced in Viareggio, ndr), on the other, the new line, which will be entirely built in Avigliana, where we will produce, in addition to the 6 and 7, also the 26-meter Seadeck 9. It will be a historic record and that’s why we also invested in the production layout: having the possibility of building a 26-metre vessel under the Alps, I think it’s a fairly unique situation.”
To achieve this result, the production process was updated and the spaces of the Turin factory were revised and enlarged. «We studied the way – continues Valle – of being able to build and assemble the boat in Piedmont and then load it disassembled onto two trucks and reassemble it in Liguria, within 10 days. In fact, the Seadeck is built and tested in the swimming pool in Avigliana; then the superstructure part is divided from that of the deck; these are loaded onto two trucks and taken to Savona, where we have the assistance and delivery centre, and reassembled. Also in Savona the boat is subjected to real sea trials and also to painting, when requested”.
But the real novelty of the Seadeck, and also of the investments made in Avigliana, must be read in relation to the increasingly strong attention of the Azimut Benetti group on the subject of sustainability. «Our logic for the new collection – underlines Valle – was to insert elements capable of being, not only novel from a design point of view, but also of recalling characteristics and contents that, at the moment, the market is asking for . We want to be increasingly sustainable, using recyclable materials, and engine finishing components that may be hybrid o mild hybrid. In this way, with the Seadeck, we will be able to reduce emissions by 20 to 40% compared to previous generations, depending on how the boat is used.”
The new line, in fact, integrates hybrid propulsion, supplied by Volvo Penta, with on-board systems to reduce energy consumption and solutions to reduce emissions: over 40% of carbon surface, an extremely efficient planing hull and anchorage parking zero emissions, thanks to electric batteries. The interiors were also built with materials that aim to preserve the environment, using, for example, cork instead of teak.
#Green #boating #Azimut #invests #million #sustainable #boats
2024-04-19 18:04:35
