“There are people with a lot of money who are spending,” says Gianni Zucco co-founder of Italy’s HP Watermakers, “changing their boat one year and the next year.”
Because he believes the boat segment for 25 metres and above currently has no problems – this is the area which the Lombardy-based company mainly works within – he’s very much looking forward to the upcoming boat show season.
“I’m sure that after the Cannes boat show is going to be really, really good,” Zucco (pictured left with his father who also works at the firm) says of the market.
But that’s not to say things have been all that bad.
The strategy the company’s been employing for the last couple of years is growth through recession by “getting the pieces of cakes which are left by our competition. So we’re still growing in a recession time like this.
“I’m really positive for the future.”
The company recently expanded its reach after 30 years in business. And it’s on a development trajectory of making its products more efficient. Zucco says it has “a real game changer for watermaking” in the pipeline, but he’s not quite ready to talk about it yet.
That announcement should be coming in the next 12 months although he recently told MIN that “We must not only think of boating and large yachts. HP Watermakers units are also aimed at resorts and communities, so in the civil sector, they can be a great help in countless emergency situations.” The company’s current product list can be seen on its website.
Meanwhile Zucco already believes that his products are forty years ahead of his competitors. That said, one thing which won’t be developing with any speed at HP Watermakers is the use of AI.
“It’s something that belongs to somebody, not a real intelligence,” says Zucco. “It’s just a big database that belongs to somebody who directs their profit-making preferences to your choices. AI is not solving any problems except calculation problems — it’s a machine, not intelligent.
“Intelligence comes from humans. I think it’s very risky and will be a real threat for humanity. Similarly, digital currency is the worst thing that could happen to us because it will flatten society. With currency not in your hands and not linked to real value, you’ll have bits and bytes without value, controlled by a few trillionaires.”
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