THINK IN ADVANCE

For some years he lived on a boat in Bocca di Magra, near «his» shipyard in Ameglia. Sanlorenzo then became a Group and with its skillful management has grown rapidly and is now listed on the stock exchange and considered one of the largest and most efficient in the world. Massimo Perotti started building boats very young, after he graduated, he joined Azimut to the point of becoming a key manager, bringing particular product innovations ever since. Design and innovation have always been drivers of production, one of the instruments of the great growth. Sanlorenzo’s range is structured in a way that can satisfy every powerboat owner. But expansion leads to new aquisitions, most recently that of Nautor Swan, the world’s strongest sailing brand, in some ways inimitable.

Since 2004, when you joined the company, Sanlorenzo has transformed. Is this the result

of this new innovative approach?

For the development of a company, innovation is a must. You have to understand which direction is be taken. This is the less easy task. At the same time, it is a challenge worth facing.

With Sanlorenzo, which direction did you take?

That of quality. Boats, especially large ones, cannot be mass produced. Let me give you an example: if I wander the docks and I see a lot of boats of the same shipyard, I’m not especially attracted to them, nor am I enticed to buy one from that shipyard. A maxi yacht is an exclusive product, I would even venture to say unique. It is not a piece of art, but it is definitely not something to be mass produced. Buying a yacht is emotional: it is something that comes from the heart not from rationality, and it involves qualities such as beauty and emotion. To put it bluntly, a superyacht is like a Ferrari: no one buys it by evaluating how much it consumes and the cost of changing tires.

What are your memories of Azimut Benetti, where you began?

In Azimut I learnt a lot. Mostly, everything I learnt, I learnt it from the best of all, Paolo Vitelli. However, in 2003 Azimut Benetti had other goals and had set a market strategy that I personally did not agree with. In my opinion, boating is a market segment that refers to luxury where quality must prevail over quantity, so I decided to leave. But I have wonderful, exciting memories of those years.

How does Sanlorenzo gain new revenue volumes?

Numbers of boats produced are not our main goal. A luxury product customized to an owner’s tastes cannot be mass produced. Let me make a joke: it is other volumes we are interested in those onboard. That have to be taken care of in detail. Like any tailor-made product.

Since the beginning, you focused a lot on design. What is your approach to that?

When I arrived in Sanlorenzo, 20 years ago, first as a manager and then, since 2005, as an entrepreneur, I tried to figure out how to innovate. For the first 10 years we focused on design

and art to distinguish ourselves and create new products. 

How?

Fifteen years ago, there was much more need of aesthetic. The layout of spaces on board, outside as well as inside, needed to be improved. It was necessary to have more light inside to also appreciate the pleasure of being close to the sea. Above all, there was a need for elegance, which is a topic I have carried with me for a long time, since the 1990s when I was still at Azimut Benetti. At the time, we studied two revolutionary innovations in boating. Gluing windows on the superstructure and opening hull windows amidships, which allowed us to design full-beam cabins, later echoed by all competitors.

Design, above all, is innovation.

I’ll give you three examples. 40Alloy, SX88 Crossover, and last only in chronological order, the

new 50Steel. Each of these three boats represent a step forward in this direction. In boating, for sure. The large windows, for example, provided more light on board and also more livability in the interior spaces. An experience I developed when I came here to Sanlorenzo. But if we talk about design, there is more to it than just that.

Can you tell us more?

Another thing I realized, and which I still believe is a winning strategy, is the continuity of the relationship between company and designer. I believe it’s an important factor in the creative development of projects and therefore in innovation. That’s why I worked for 15 years with Stefano Righini at Azimut, then six years with Francesco Paszkowski at Sanlorenzo, and now

nearly 10 years with Bernardo and Martina Zuccon.

You also worked with Chris Bangle, a revolutionary designer in the automotive world.

Chris brought novelty to boating, trying to use his considerable inventiveness and a new vision for the product. He gave us excellent solutions on volumes re-distribution onboard by getting out of the classical canons that needed to be overcome. He suggested more usable living areas, and with him came the idea of making asymmetrical boats that became a whole range.

Since 2018, Sanlorenzo has been collaborating with Piero Lissoni.

I met him at an event connected to Milan’s Salone del Mobile, and we discussed the SX 88: he was enthusiastic, and so he began collaborating with us—not only on yacht design. When he joined as Art Director, he introduced the themes of communication and product image into the company and emphasized their importance.

In what way?

He told me, «Massimo, you did a great job, you’ve completed one, but you’re missing nine. Now you need to start communicating». With Piero Lissoni, we started a journey that took us from design to art. For years, we’ve been present at Art Basel, not only in Switzerland but also in Miami and Hong Kong.

Not only design. Sanlorenzo is also engaged with art.

Our connection with art doesn’t stop at Art Basel. I would say it actually starts with this experience. We’ve been partners with the Italian Pavilion at the Biennale. Now, Michelangelo Pistoletto’s Terzo Paradiso, presented during the Biennale Arte di Venezia, marks the first step toward launching Sanlorenzo Arts Venice next year—a cultural and artistic center for which we’ve acquired a beautiful venue currently being renovated.

A big commitment for Sanlorenzo.

I believe these initiatives are a way to support contemporary art and promote Italian identity and Made in Italy in an international context. This commitment, I think, will also strengthen our relationship with our clientele.

How so?

Those who purchase a Sanlorenzo join a club of connoisseurs, of owners with maritime experience, who often had owned other yachts, not necessarily from our shipyards, but certainly aren’t new to yachting. Our clients become part of an exclusive club of 1,000 owners who appreciate Sanlorenzo’s quality, grounded in innovation, resulting in a product of excellence that is presented as such, exclusive and reserved for the few. A bit like a work of art, born from ingenuity and creativity, and not just able to be reproduced. Our yachts have a similar genesis. They start with an innovative idea, take form in a project, and materialize into a yacht that in some way represents a unique piece. Do you know how and where the SX88 was born?

We’re curious.

At the table of a restaurant, at Ciccio’s, in Bocca di Magra.

Can you tell us about it?

In 2014, six years of crisis had swept away what I call the parvenus from the market. There was the need of an innovative product, what we defined as a «Crossover» that only an experienced clientele could understand, appreciate, and, hopefully, purchase. The SX88, with its forward windows, Lissoni-designed interiors, an innovative communication campaign, and presence at Milan’s Triennale, was a success for Sanlorenzo, certainly the most profitable for a shipyard like ours, with annual revenues of 800 million and 70 yachts. But it’s not just about the SX88.

What else?

The SP110, which we didn’t have the presumption to design in-house. Instead, we turned to someone with much more experience with this type of yacht.

Who did you call on?

Sanlorenzo doesn’t have the know-how for high-speed yachts. So, we called on Tilli Antonelli, inventor of Pershing, and relied on his expertise. The result was a coupé, an open yacht that cruises at 35 knots with the comfort of a maxi yacht. I’ll say it again: the market cannot be approached with arrogance or the presumption that we know everything.

Is this the reason why you acquired Nautor Swan?

The acquisition of Nautor Swan follows this same logic. Sanlorenzo doesn’t build sailboats— it’s not our specialty. Acquiring Nautor Swan allows us to expand our business with a complementary product we couldn’t create ourselves. Moreover, it’s a consistent choice with our approach to yachting: Sanlorenzo and Nautor Swan share very similar worlds. Both cater to a club of experienced yachtsmen, passionate about the sea and navigation. The brand, with annual revenues of 100 million and 25 yachts, has more than 2.350 loyal customers proud to be part of a club, a passionate community of Swan lovers. And sailing is also a sustainable choice.

In what way?

Sustainability is on our agenda, and we have long proposed a specific program. The acquisition of Swan is another step in Sanlorenzo’s Road to 2030. On our motor yachts, we’re developing new technologies with Siemens Energy to reduce the environmental impact of maxi yachts. In 2024, we launched our first 50-meter yacht with onboard energy production using green methanol and hydrogen. Sanlorenzo is highly aware of environmental issues, and it couldn’t be otherwise. The Nautor Swan operation fits this approach: sailing is certainly the most sustainable choice. Nautor will continue its journey independently. 

Nautor Swan was a sustainable acquisition financially too, thanks to the stock market entry. 

The stock listing sends a message of seriousness and professionalism to the market, as well as to our managers and employees. We went public in 2019, and in five years, our market capitalization has nearly tripled. We started with 550 million euros, and now Sanlorenzo is valued at 1.600 euros. This operation has allowed us to double our revenues, which this year will approach one billion euros, and to make acquisitions like Nautor Swan, which, besides being strategic, align with our vision of yachting and, above all its future.