Interview: Benetti Managing Director Massimiliano Casoni on construction processes and customer loyalty
Sören Gehlhaus
· 06.06.2024
What industry did you work in before?
I was at Ferrari for more than 15 years, where I started in logistics and production. I then played a key role in the development and construction of the California and the FF, the first Ferrari with four-wheel drive. In 2015, I left Ferrari as Head of Production and joined Technogym, the global market leader in fitness equipment, as Chief Operating Officer. It's a rather small company, but it's a huge company in terms of its ability to open different doors around the world - be it on yachts or at companies like Google. At Technogym, we employed more than 250 software engineers.
Do you have a personal yachting background?
No, not directly. But after studying engineering, I was an officer in the Italian Navy and spent two years in La Spezia. We looked after the warranty phases of our ships and submarines. After a year in service, they went to the shipyard, in this case Fincantieri, and we inspected them.
What do you want to achieve with Benetti?
Benetti serves a similar customer base to Ferrari and Technogym and is just as focussed on technology, design and luxury. I know how important it is to build a brand and awareness and to control the entire build process and life cycle, starting with the warranty and extended warranty. It is also about the supply of HVO biodiesel, the training of the crew and captains or extraordinary and normal maintenance. In other words, services that accompany the customer and the yacht for longer. Other industries have gone down this path and I think it also works in the yacht sector. For some owners, the yacht is an asset. They know that certain things need to be done to maintain it.
What should this new service approach look like in concrete terms?
Today we presented the first details of a global service network that is due to start work in 2025. The partners will be selected and managed by Benetti. I believe in vertical acquisitions and completing the life cycle of a yacht rather than buying other yacht brands. Beyond our after-sales department, we want to offer different types of services together with Lusben. We have developed technological innovations such as the K-Finder software for remote maintenance and visualisation of hidden parts in real time, partly using augmented reality. We can imagine a control room where you can see the locations and conditions of all the yachts around the world on a giant screen, control the engine and check how the boats are travelling. With the addition of artificial intelligence, maintenance could be predicted. I want to organise the service as a profit department and not as something that just manages the warranty.
Will there be changes in Benetti's production?
A car and a yacht are completely different things. Car manufacturers cover the entire industrial cycle from the chassis to the construction of the engine. In yacht building, we work with many suppliers who build a single part. A project manager said to me that building a yacht is like a jigsaw puzzle. If you know the process, you can control the costs. And if you have this cost overview and a strong research and development department, you can also handle the agreements with suppliers better. It's also a question of the quality of the end product. Once you have mastered the process, you can scrutinise the suppliers. So it's about expanding our expertise. Not only in the design and development of the boats, but also in the process. It's a long process, but I believe that we can achieve a lot of synergies with Azimut, especially in the supply chain. This has long been common practice in the automotive industry. Captains come together here in Budapest.
Will there soon be a Benetti Owners Club?
Quite possibly, there was a very high turnout of owners at Benetti's 150th anniversary celebrations. At Ferrari, there is the Cavalcade, where Ferrari owners take a tour through a particular region of Italy. Benetti's customers are a little different. Anyone who buys such an expensive yacht needs a very customised service. It's certainly easier to move the owner without a yacht (laughs).
