Salvatore Ranieri: “Now it’s the turn of USA; in Cannes, we will launch a very fast RIB”

“Hey, I know that guy!”. Boat shows often offer an opportunity to have chance encounters. But if this someone is Salvatore Ranieri in his workout clothes and the occasion is the Miami Yacht Show, an event that Ranieri International has never joint before, the chance to be faced with a news is really high.

And, indeed, when we ask them: “What are you doing here”, Mr. Ranieri couldn’t reply “I’m sightseeing”.

” I’m in Miami – he told us – because we’re looking for some partners to make our products enter the USA market”.

Partners?

Yes, we’re looking for serious people who can distribute our products and provide our potential customers with the proper post-sales assistance.

Do you already have any customers in the US market or do you still have to invent your own market?

Both, I’d say. Of course, this kind of initiatives cannot be improvised. A group of potential customers have shown an interest in buying our boats. However, we don’t want to take a risk. If we choose to start selling in the USA, we must have what it takes, including an efficient post-sales assistance network. We’ve been working on this project for three years and, now, we’ve decided to close the circle. Even from a commercial point of view, USA represents the completion of an important export strategy that has enabled us to cover Europe, Turkey, Chine and even Greenland, where we are currently delivering two 22- and 25-foot CLF.

Which boats have attracted the American public’s attention? Which boats have made people ask you: “Hey, how much is it?”

The first requests have come for the Next 370SH and Next 290SH. Presented at last Paris Boat Show, the 240 hasn’t been unveiled here yet. But…

But?

But, in USA, we want to introduce a great novelty which, according to our analysis, should create great interest among American audience.

Is it a boat bigger than your Next models?

I’m talking of a RIB featuring an overall length of 11.50 meters named Cayman 38 Sport Touring (see the first rendering in the opening photo). Details have already been settled and the building process can begin. The boat will be officially presented at the next  Cannes Yachting Festival. What I can say now is that power will come from two or three engines outputting up to 900hp, so the boat will be very performing and therefore in line with American owners’ tastes.

You’ve always built boats designed for the European, if not Mediterranean market. Are you planning any significant changes for the US market?

Not from a legislative or a technical point of view because our boats are perfectly in line with US standards. We will try to change layouts in order to meet US customers’ tastes.

Your arrival in the USA is also a sign of growth. Market conditions are certainly more favourable now but they are not enough to grow, right?

Although the overall economical situation cannot be ignored, companies need to make precise and highly efficient strategic choices. We’ve always put emphasis on our products, their quality but also on the capacity to create something new and innovative. We have therefore done our best on the marketing level through a constant participation to boat shows. Our next appointments are in Zagabria and Oslo. These are important, interlinked investments. On the other side, there are the productive aspects. A new 5-thousand-square-meter production site will be inaugurated shortly. It’s not just about supporting an increase in production but I’m talking of specific efforts intended to reorganize processes, keep quality high, increase figures and reduce costs. If you really want to compete in a global market, you need a comprehensive strategic view.