Angelini (Navigo) presented the data from the Regional Nautical Observatory in Livorno
The manufacturing district that goes from Livorno to La Spezia produces 80% of the national product and 35% of the world's yacht production.
On the sidelines of the Livorno Form Yachting conference, organized by the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea Port System Authority and the Maremma and Tirreno Chamber of Commerce, SUPER YACHT 24 met with Pietro Angelini, director of the Tuscan consortium Navigo, who presented the 2023 data and 2024 outlook collected by the Regional Nautical Observatory.
Dr. Angelini, Navigo contributed to this industry analysis. What was your goal with your presentation at this conference?
The goal is to demonstrate, through the local knowledge of the sector's businesses, how this context fits into the world's most important nautical district, which extends from Livorno to La Spezia: a district in Tuscany and a part of Liguria that produces 80% of the national output and 35% of the global output.
The conference highlights the characteristics of this context. Among other things, the nautical industry is a sector that isn't easily recognized because sometimes it's referred to as shipbuilding, sometimes as maritime economics or port operations, and it's difficult to identify the nautical companies themselves. In Livorno, some incredible cases emerged in this work: there are historic companies, and others, that, if they don't have the characteristic of being nautical in their name and code, go unidentified. The originality of this work was mix Various information was gathered through Navigo, which is now the largest service center in Europe and has been able to gather a wealth of information: information on nautical suppliers, which it has combined with shipyard suppliers, port suppliers, Chamber of Commerce information, and information from Cerved. The result is a list that, in our opinion, is the most accurate.
The work demonstrates an analytical knowledge of the sector, starting with nautical processes. A boat, from the moment it's designed to the moment it's launched, and subsequently, undergoes a whole series of processes. I'll use the example of a bilge pump installer: we'll never find them, neither at events nor in promotional forms, yet without them, it wouldn't be possible to install a bilge pump. We only see the accessory, but the boat isn't a sum of accessories, but a sum of processes: it's a revolutionary approach. So the numbers are inflated because these processes also include the invisible stakeholders. We've thus found huge companies, some made up of 100 people—not sole proprietorships—that are 100% nautical-related.”
Who is this analysis most useful for?
I believe the entire nautical industry needs to be aware of this data, certainly for statistical purposes, but above all to develop strategies: to understand what we need to train in three years, and in five, in terms of people, students, and businesses. To be competitive in my area by integrating with the context, as soon as the industry makes me realize I'll need painters in three years, I need to anticipate and implement attractive policies with space, assets, and incentive policies. This is the goal.
Navigo is a stakeholder of Livorno Form Yachting. What do you expect from this collaboration?
Form Yachting is an idea specific to the Livorno area, where Navigo has been a stakeholder since its inception in 2022. Navigo, as the founder of the ITIS, the ITS, and the Consorzio Marine delle Toscana, is a partner that brings the company together in a united and synergistic manner—in other words, a reference cluster, as needed in a context like this. In our opinion, Livorno was the ideal city for this experiment because it has everything: commerce, pleasure boating, transportation, logistics, the islands, the marina, and the broader territory. Experimenting in this area represents a good case study for us to see if things work. Hopefully, this method will expand to the entire district. What we're showing today is a snapshot of a situation that will be taken again in three years, because the observatory must allow us to observe how situations develop over time.
From the current picture of Livorno, what emerges from the observatory in terms of needs for the sector?
"A city emerges that is very united on training objectives. Livorno wants to integrate, collaborate, and above all, figure out how to interact with this sector, which is clearly bringing so much to the city. We need to train the workforce (welders, carpenters, fitters) and top management.
It should also be noted that training in Livorno doesn't just help local residents. The city, being on the coast, can also aim to train people from other cities. It's important to understand that training isn't local; what's needed is at least regional, if not national and international. We're already seeing that the skills employed in Livorno aren't just trained by the Livorno school, but may have been trained in Viareggio.
Another fact is that the largest shipyard in Livorno has as many as 4.800 suppliers; certainly not all of them are from Livorno. The goal, therefore, is to understand market needs and train people accordingly.
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The first edition of "Sea, Finance and Insurance" will take place in Genoa on June 14th.
