An avant-guard Shipyard
ICONIC YACHT | Autore C.M.
Exclusive insight into the unstoppable Golden Route by Baglietto is revealed here in the interview with Dr. Michele Gavino, CEO Baglietto, for Good Style Magazine. Featuring a complete and competitive product range that is able to combine Italian craftsmanship and design with cutting-edge technology and performance, creating a shipyard with a redefined structure that is oriented towards the future.
What is the tradition of Baglietto, one of the historic Italian boatyards?
Summarizing 165 years of history in a few lines is not an easy task. Since 1854, Baglietto has written the history of Italian boating, even playing a part in the history of our country with its unique boats. From sailing boats to the MAS of both World Wars, from the first megayacht in history to the series of Islands (Elba, Majorca, Minorca), the name Baglietto has always been associated with avant-garde boats that are the finest in quality, performance, and technology. Ever since Pietro Baglietto built his first boat in his yard at home, the brand has been synonymous with innovation, authentic creative spirit and technical genius, as well as a supporter of research and development. The Gavio family bought the historic company in 2012 and its plans to relaunch it included first reaffirming the supremacy of Baglietto, placing it among the major international shipyards. Huge investments have been made to achieve this, including the strengthening of the
shipyard’s infrastructures; in particular, this includes a remediation of the entire production site which now covers 35,000 square meters, the construction of two covered shelters for building new ships up to 65 meters, and docks equipped to accommodate yachts up to 70 meters. The construction of a third bay has also recently begun which will allow the shipyard to further enhance its production needs. It is a project of enormous importance which involves several years of work creating a new and renewed dock of over 3,600 square meters with two 85-meter docks that feature a significant increase in mooring capacity. Over twenty-five million euros have been invested since 2012, testifying to our commitment and how important tradition is to us, but at the same time proving how we look ahead to revive this important tradition.
What attention do you give to the environment?
Today the environment is certainly among the issues of greatest importance for the shipyard, even if the process is not immediate because it requires the collaboration of
several parties: the shipyard, suppliers, and above all our clients. Together with our partners we are studying solutions for hybrid or electric engines to be applied to our new projects, such as on the 65m designed by Francesco Paszkowski and presented in Monaco, or on the 70m designed by Mulder, but also on smaller boats such as the ABACO, the latest 40m by Santa Maria Magnolfi presented at the most recent Fort Lauderdale show. We recently joined the Water Revolution Foundation, a foundation whose cause is to define univocal standards of sustainability in the nautical sector and to safeguard the sea. But attention to the environment can also be seen in the small things, and for this reason we have started a process of eliminating single-use plastic by replacing it with compostable bottles and materials.
What is the added value of selling a product that is Made in Italy?
If there is one thing that we Italians know how to do well, it is creating beauty, and a yacht is the finest example of beauty in the broadest sense of the term. Design, style, and
elegance are terms that are inextricably associated with the brand of “Made in Italy” and this is why our shipowners choose us.
When buying luxury goods, how important is it for the client to establish a direct relationship with the manufacturer?
For products like ours, which are no longer only luxury but also fall into the category of the extreme, the relationship is fundamental. Anyone who builds a yacht in a span of time ranging from one to three years must be able to completely trust you because a large part of the capital is entrusted to you. And trust is only built through a relationship. Building a boat is a creative journey that involves many people all driven by the same passion.
How does your supply chain take part in the creation of a new boat?
A boat cannot be built without a supply chain that is, however, perhaps the weakest link today. Our workforce is a highly specialized workforce, the suppliers with the appropriate requirements are few and far between. They are often small family businesses that have great craftsmanship expertise but little industrial aptitude. The challenge is to get them to grow with us.
Research, innovation, and design: what distinguishes your shipyard?
When you look at one of our boats, you immediately recognize it as a Baglietto. The trait of Francesco Paszkowski, who has been with our brand for more than 20 years, has
evolved over time but has always remained consistent with an extremely clean design that is streamlined and features soft lines. Even for new boats, we asked the designers
who we collaborate with to reinterpret the Baglietto style while keeping with tradition. What we try to do is innovate without losing our identity, which is the added value of
owning a Baglietto.
What are your thoughts on the current market? Which countries do you have the most success in?
For now, the market is on stand-by: there are many issues that can crucially influence it. Duties in the USA, for example. Even if the American market (both North and Central America) is perhaps the most important market for us at the moment, Europe is also important, which remains a solid reference point. We struggle a bit in East Asia, a potentially interesting market for us but still too distant since we manage the business directly from Italy.
Can you tell us about any future projects?
For the future, we are counting on a shipyard that is even more avant-garde: in fact, we are expanding our construction potential thanks to a third covered shelter that will allow us to accommodate boats up to 65 meters. We have renewed our production line and presented innovative projects such as the 65m by Francesco Paszkowski presented in Monaco, or the 40m Abaco by SMM designed specifically for the shallow waters of the Bahamas. We have launched interesting partnerships such as the one with Visionnaire to attract different tastes in design.We work in a relatively small and highly competitive sector, where attention to detail and the ability to provide a truly tailor-made product becomes an essential competitive advantage.
Web: baglietto.com
