What led to you becoming a member of Yihong, your father’s firm, nearly 15 years in the past?
My father began his profession in actual property. Later, he was an investor in a shipyard and I joined the ocean trial of a ship earlier than it was shipped to France. My first impression was how comfy a yacht might be as a second residence. I additionally assume the expertise planted a seed in each my father’s thoughts and my thoughts.
In 2005, he based the Yihong shipyard and we had a severe dialogue about whether or not I’d be a part of the corporate sooner or later. Primarily based on my pursuits, he was beginning to construct a enterprise I might assist develop. I then selected to main in enterprise and finance at Funan College earlier than doing a grasp’s diploma in hospitality at Cornell College.
After returning to China in 2009, I joined the Shanghai department of Yihong. I began in gross sales then was concerned in service, design, product improvement and supply-chain administration. In 2016, I used to be promoted to Chairwoman of Yihong Yachts. At the moment, we primarily constructed the Sea Stella trawler collection (40ft and 53ft) and laborious high collection (46ft).
What adjustments did you make at Yihong Yachts?
Since I studied hospitality, I realised the shopper expertise and life-style is extraordinarily vital within the yacht business, so I launched the Sea Stella Yacht Membership and an aftersales centre in Shanghai. We invested in a number of boats for use for constitution and sea trials for potential prospects, and cooperated with numerous manufacturers and high-net-worth-client teams. We quickly turned the market chief in Shanghai and nonetheless are.
Are you able to describe the Yihong shipyard in Zhangzhou?
It’s one in every of China’s greatest yacht and RV manufacturing crops, with 1.4km of shoreline and about 200 workers. The boat enterprise consists of Aquitalia luxurious yachts and Sea Stella, that are principally industrial boats and embody new power choices.
We are able to construct catamarans, lake boats, shuttle boats, floating houses and steel-hull yachts as much as 60m. We additionally function as an OEM for various manufacturers together with start-ups, both from product improvement or simply manufacturing. We additionally present refit companies for luxurious superyachts and just lately started work on a 112ft superyacht from a famend Italian model.
Our shipyard options quite a lot of trendy development strategies and expertise together with modular meeting since final yr. Often, modular manufacturing expertise applies to mass manufacturing. Though we produce semi-custom Aquitalia yachts above 60ft, we consider the modular manufacturing enhances the standard of the boat, particularly the woodwork, and improves the effectivity.
We’ve adopted digital administration software program for manufacturing, provide chains, gross sales and operations. We’re additionally making a digital aftersales software to make the rules simply accessible by way of an open platform.
We’ve additionally been engaged on expertise for electrical boats since 2020 and have constructed an electrical Aquitalia 68 and engaged in electrical tourism boat tasks for state-owned corporations, such because the design and development of a 41m steel-hull electrical tourism boat for Shanghai. In 2022, our R&D staff helped construct a 53ft boat utilizing autopilot expertise in cooperation with a college.
What’s the background of the Aquitalia collection?
Initially, Yihong was the OEM for Aquitalia, which we acquired in 2010. Which means the god of the water, Aquitalia was initially a model based in Florence by a staff of designers. The emblem tells a model story, that the pen of an angel dipped into the water creates a masterpiece. In China, the model’s title is Shui Shen, which interprets because the god of water.
Aquitalia believes we are going to seize the most effective inspiration from ‘the one’, who could be an proprietor or a designer, then flip it into actuality by constructing a masterpiece. The inspiration is from the water and the masterpiece will return to the water. Impressed by water, we use quite a lot of circulate within the exterior form of the boats, whereas the yachts are often wider than their rivals, which supplies extra space inside.
What has been your hottest Aquitalia mannequin?
The Aquitalia 68, which we launched in 2016. We’ve constructed 36 hulls and nonetheless have six hulls to be constructed this yr. The opposite fashions we’ve constructed or are nonetheless constructing are the Aquitalia 64, the brand new 78, the 85 and our flagship 95, in addition to the 72 catamaran.
We have now a staff of designers from Europe and China, so we’re in a position to customise the interiors of our boats, one thing most European manufacturers solely supply on bigger yachts or superyachts. The 78 Sport and 108 are amongst upcoming designs we haven’t constructed but.
Which have been your key markets and the place do you assume Aquitalia can develop within the coming years?
To date, we’ve been specializing in the China market and are the market chief. We’ve additionally bought some boats to the UAE and different locations in Asia equivalent to Japan and South Korea.
Final yr, we appointed LKW Pavic in Germany because the unique distributor for Aquitalia Yachts in Europe and we exhibited the Aquitalia 78 on the Cannes Yachting Pageant. We additionally appointed DuBose Industries as our grasp supplier for North America and hosted a sales space on the Fort Lauderdale Worldwide Boat Present, the place we plan to show two boats this yr.
We additionally attended the Abu Dhabi Worldwide Boat Present and this yr’s Dubai Worldwide Boat Present. In late April, we make our Southeast Asia debut on the Singapore Yachting Pageant, the place we’re displaying an Aquitalia 68 with our new supplier Raffles Yacht.
An growing variety of high-net-worth Chinese language shoppers are emigrating to and investing in Singapore and the Center East, so we expect we’ll profit from being in these markets as our model is widespread with Chinese language shoppers. We’re additionally assured concerning the US market.
Why did you appoint Raffles Yacht as Aquitalia’s agent in Southeast Asia?
Raffles Yacht is an skilled, nicely related firm that has a protracted historical past within the Singapore yacht business. The expertise of Julian (Chang) and Diederik (Brinkman) is not going to solely assist us to develop the market but in addition assist us to boost our manufacturing.
We consider the long run progress of Aquitalia within the world market will likely be an thrilling journey, so we’re blissful to have the assist of Raffles Yacht.
What ought to we all know concerning the Aquitalia 68 that may present on the Singapore Yachting Pageant?
The Aquitalia 68 we are going to current in Singapore is an upgraded model and options the brand new design by Pulina Unique Interiors that properly incorporates the model story with the product. Pulina (based in Italy and with an workplace in Shanghai) affords three themes of their inside design, masking trendy leisure model, the traditional and Mediterranean model, and the high-tech model.
A variety of pure components are infused into the inside and there’s quite a lot of thought behind the design. For instance, the main-deck ceiling will characteristic patterns depicting how sea influences the evolution of landscapes. The furnishings and woodwork characteristic quite a lot of curves and arcs, which require difficult craftsmanship, whereas textured glass is used for adornment.
As we launch the Aquitalia model in Southeast Asia together with the brand new 68 design, we’ll invite folks to go to and expertise the boat. Pulina has additionally labored on inside designs for different Aquitalia yachts and we’ll additionally cooperate with them on Aquitalia Dwelling, providing our inside design service to houses for high-end shoppers.
What was the response from guests and media once you confirmed the Aquitalia 78 on the Cannes Yachting Pageant final yr?
Lots of the European guests like our design language. Although many manufacturers have began to design boat with extra edges, there are nonetheless many individuals who just like the traditional, streamline Italian yacht model with quite a lot of circulate. Folks gave good suggestions on our spaciousness, particularly within the saloon and the engine room.
Picture courtesy of Yihong Yachts
www.yihongyachts.com
www.aquitaliayachts.com
This text was first seen on YachtStyle.co.
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