What do cashmere, wine and boating have in common? Fabio Planamente, CEO of Cantieri Del Pardo, acquired last month by the Calzedonia group, has no doubts: it is Italian excellence. The Cantieri Del Pardo is a group with 50 years of maritime history, located in the naval district of Forlì. AND Sandro Veronesi, patron of Calzedonia, as well as a sea enthusiast, took over the majority share held by Wise Equity, which had purchased 60% of the shipyard in 2020 through the Wisequity V fund. An operation that started last month and will be completed in October and will see the Cantieri del Pardo join Falconieri, Signorvino, Tezenis Intimissimi and Atelier Emeè already in the group.
Fabio Planamente is one of the historic managers of the Cantieri, together with Gigi Servidati, and both have maintained their minority share.
How do you find yourself in the Canzedonia group, between cashmere and wines? Why did Veronesi choose you? And why did you choose him?
Calzedonia's choices have certainly been moving in the direction of for some time diversification of the group, but always with the light on Italian excellence. And our group certainly is in our field.
On the contrary, we are satisfied with the meeting with Veronesi's group, because it is a long-term relationship unlike what usually happens with funds that only remain for 5-7 years. In this group we will also be able to benefit from their experience in the industrial, organizational and distribution fields
What are the numbers of the Cantiere del Pardo. During the Genoa Boat Show, the president of Confindustria nautica said that Italy exports 88%: how do you position yourself? What are your target markets?
We find ourselves exactly in line with Italian exports: 85% of our boats go abroad. The most important market for us is the Florida, which represents 40% of our exports. In Europe then we have first place France and then the Spain. Half of our sailing boats go to Italy.
Grand Soleil Yachts, VanDutch Yachts and Pardo Yachts are your brands. What is your size in terms of revenues, boats sold and order book?
In the last two years we have recorded an exponential curve and have grown by 50% every year. On August 31st, at the end of the nautical year, we registered revenues for 180 million with the delivery of 215 boats: we are the first Italian shipyard for turnover of boats up to 24 metres. Our order backlog extends through 2025.
With which boats are you present at the Genoa Boat Show? Do you have any news?
The Genoa boat show is the occasion for the Italian premiere of two new Grand Soleil sailing boats: the Grand Soleil 65 LC and the Grand Soleil 72 LC. But in addition to the two new features, the Grand Soleil 40, 44, 48 and the GS 42 LC and GS 52 LC models are also present. VanDutch Yachts will present its entire fleet with the VanDutch 32, 40, 48 and 56 models, while Pardo Yachts will bring the Pardo 38, 43, 50, Pardo GT52 and Endurance 60 models on display.
VanDutch Yachts is your recent acquisition from Holland and has an interesting history for Italy
Yes, they purchased the yards in 2020. But we reversed the trend that usually sees Italian industrialists taking production abroad: on the contrary, we brought it to Italy, to our yards in Forlì and we hired Italian workers, giving as well as the typical Italian style to the boats. We are working on a new VanDutch model, a 75 footer, equal to 24 meters, which we will launch in June next year.
And then there are Pardo Yachts, which has become a case study. Legend has it that thanks to Raul Gardini, not yet famous for the Moro di Venezia, who lent three million lire (1972 euros) to 1.500-year-old Giuseppe Giuliani Ricci in 29 and the Cantiere del Pardo was born 50 years ago. But you were the manager who relaunched them in 2017.
It has become a history case above all for the speed with which we have managed to get it off the ground since 2017. It now represents 70% of our turnover.
One of the key words in boating is "green". For a sailing boat it should be the most suitable adjective. How do you implement the concept of sustainability in your construction sites?
Among many, I would like to highlight one. We need to start thinking about the end of life of boats. In other words, when building new boats it is necessary to know how to choose materials and raw materials that can be easily disposed of and recyclable.
