Propspeed reveals 2025 Italian expansion plans. Plus, new Nautor Swan deal
Nautor Swan, a Finnish producer of sailing yachts, has selected Propspeed as the standard coating for the propellers and running gear of all Swan Arrow units.
Nautor Swan will apply Propspeed on all new Swan Arrow vessels, with existing owners encouraged to adopt the coating for additional protection against fouling and corrosion on underwater metals.
The boatbuilder says the decision stems from its focus on sustainable solutions. Propspeed’s biocide-free, foul-release coating is said to offer long-term protection, reduce fuel consumption and emissions and extend anode life, thereby lowering the environmental impact of heavy metals.
Davide Burrini, Propspeed EMEA sales director, was instrumental in putting together the deal between Propspeed and Nautor Swan. He says both companies have a strong alignment in terms of sustainability, finishing and respect for the environment. “An alignment of values makes collaborating an easy way between our brands. It’s a natural collaboration,” he tells MIN.
“Nautor Swan is a famous brand for crafting sophisticated boats,” Burrini continues. “It started from a legacy sailing boat, and has moved into power boats but hasn’t lost the sophisticated DNA and capability to develop a masterpiece of technology and beauty.”
Fabio Marcellino, power boats chief technical and operations officer at Nautor Swan, adds: “We were eager to explore the benefits of Propspeed’s product line and how it can enhance our customers’ experiences. Our goal is to uphold a standard of excellence for all our customers, and Propspeed plays a key role in guaranteeing this level of quality for our power boats. We appreciate Propspeed’s contribution in protecting our customers’ investments and improving the performance of these exceptional vessels.”
Italian expansion plans
In 2021, Propspeed established a presence in Italy, as part of its continued European push, and the firm expects to expand in the Italian market in 2025.
“We’re really expanding business in Italy,” Burrini tells MIN. Propspeed more than doubled business in the country in the past 12 months. “It’s a signal that the market understands our position and the performance we can deliver. By investing in Propspeed, they will save on expenses and their assets will last longer.”
Burrini says he’s targeting more and more OEMs now and is starting a new Italian strategy. “It’s the highest density of boatbuilders in Europe,” he says, and “we want to have a Propspeed option listed as one of the potential solutions to an end customer on day one.”
That said, he notes that shipyards remain a key segment to addressing the after-market. “All those boats currently sailing and that want a Propspeed coating need a shipyard-certified application. We’re working with distributors to make sure there is a solid certification in process in each country.
“That’s an additional value that we want to propose. We’re not selling just a transactional product. We are selling solutions so that customers have the highest confidence in the job.”
The Propspeed product range includes specialised coatings such as Propspeed for running gear, Foulfree for transducers, and Lightspeed for underwater lighting. The newest addition, Stripspeed, is a solvent-based paint stripper for underwater metals.
A year ago, Propspeed launched its Like a Pro toolkit at METSTRADE. That’s now helping to address the lack of skills in the industry. Burrini believes it offers tools and solutions to save time for both shipyards and applicators. “Less labour resources are needed for the same job,” he says. “There’s tangible data to show that it’s not about a single roller or remover, but it’s a comprehensive solution to save time.” He says Propspeed’s coverage calculator has been used around 13,000 times with 6,000 unique users in a year — each of them saving time.
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