The SHIPYARD FRANCHINI: COMPANY’S HISTORY
The first Shipyard Franchini was founded by shipwright Michele Franchini (also known as Guido) in 1947 in an old “Hangar” war surplus, on Riccione’s harbour. It was obviously a sole proprietorship with a single member
Initially, orders were mainly work and fishing boats that helped to make known “Guido” in the seafaring environment of the Adriatic coast as one of the most attentive and quick makers of wooden boats with particular sturdiness and elegance.
It was in the late 50’s that “Guido” invented the “beach cutter” a boat inspired by the racing drift type Flying Dutcham that thanks to their flat bottom could arrive up to the sandy beach in Riccione and upload the waiting tourists. Some of these boats are still in service along the beaches of Romagna.
In the early sixties thanks to the economic boom and the particular condition at the time of Riccione as fashionable resort destination of many “VIP”, “Guido” Franchini began to work on creating some interesting recreational boats and yachts including the “Black Hawk”, a schooner particularly appreciated both at sea and in the various events in which over the years has had the opportunity to participate.
Among the many distinguished clients in the mid-sixties, a certain Norberto Ferretti, who had asked him to turn an old wooden fishing boat in a pleasure motor-sailor. The boat was so well realized that Norberto and Guido decided to expose it in the Genoa Boat Show. It was 1970, it was February … and it was snowing.
Among Franchini and Ferretti was born an almost perfect understanding that combined the technical skills of Guido with entrepreneurial dynamism and business acumen of the Ferretti brothers that leaded to a de-facto corporation or joint venture (never formalized) that before in Italy, proposed a series of cruise motorsailers constructed entirely of wood: the 10 and 12 meters. Boats still sailing and much appreciated by their owners.
Always in collaboration with Ferretti, Franchini began to take care of the fitting of the “Altura 33” of fiberglass hull. At that point, however, (1973) as was inevitable considering the total diversity of approaches to the market (focused on marketing by Ferretti and totally focused on the building quality by Franchini), the partnership came to an end.
In fact Franchini suddenly found himself lacking of workers that Ferretti was able to lure with promises behind Guido’s back, whereof the most important thing was his word, far apart from the momentary convenience.
It was at this time that, to support the rebirth of the Yard, Massimo Franchini joined the company and the company was called Shipyard Franchini by Franchini Michele and Sons snc
The newly graduated architect brought its culture of young designer eager to practice his ability to understand of an increasingly large and demanding clientele.
Thus was born the “FORM 37”, later renamed “ADRIA 37”, the first of a generation of moder motorsailers, that while maintaining and emphasizing the qualities of roominess and comfort of the previous craft production, allowed a true sailing thanks to a hull without compromises with great balance and amazing performance: of this boat were produced over forty specimens. A respectable number considering the size of the market and the “handcrafted” structure of the company at that time.
The road was traced and, aware of the need to ensure and consolidate the reputation already acquired in the field of the cruise sailboats, Massimo Franchini, after having experimented with several other custom projects from 47 to 60 feet, some of which definitely more “forward “compared to the historical moment, he decided to focus on the design and to a young designer from Trieste, who was distinguished himself in the fields of race, Roberto Starkel, to draw a hull capable of supporting a new idea of motorsailer characterized by a real apartment for the owner and by a clear distinction between areas for guests and for those maneuvers, all concentrated in “only” 45 feet. It was called “ATLANTIS 45” to emphasize the research for a new world and a new way of navigate with a sailboat. Thanks to the strict division of labor between Massimo Franchini: the architect in charge of everything that’s out of the water and Eng. Starkel: specialist in the submerged part, the result was so amazing to induce Massimo to immediately yard in another 53-foot hull so strong that, even today, after more than fifteen years, “FRANCHJINI YACHTS”.
With the growth in size of the boats and the yard and the opening of new markets such as France, Spain, Germany, with some foray into America and Russia, came the need to give to themselves international credibility. He decided to enlarge the social structure changing, in 1996 the Shipyard Franchini snc in Franchini Yachts LTD and to entrust the design of new ships to a designer of international reputation thanks to three consecutive victories in the Copa America. Thus began the collaboration with Doug Peterson which provided the water lines of the “FRANCHINI 75”. The agreement, once again: Doug took care of the “kive work” and Massimo of the “dead work” and entire concept of the boat. And once again, it worked! The boat cruised the world carrying a family of three people including a child of five years and a few occasional friends. All the newspapers wrote about it and this definitely strengthed the reputation of Franchini as a manufacturer of cruising boats, without limitation, beautiful, reliables, comfortables and safe.
Parallel to the development of new products, Franchini, born as a teacher in woodworking, passed to the fiberglass for an inescapable logic of production, not resigned to the low standard offered by manufacturers of hulls of the time and always, on the basis of an exasperated research of the best possible quality, discovered on the east coast of the United States, a company that has developed a method of molding fiberglass absolutely revolutionary, it was the vacuum-sealed infusion that, in addition to raising exponentially the technical quality of the product, eliminated any intake of pollutants into the atmosphere and allowed the total control of the process and results.
Massimo Franchini had no doubt, it’s what he was looking for! It is so convinced that, together with a partner and in collaboration with the founders of Pershing, with whom, on the front of fast motoryachts, felt the same needs, acquired, first in Europe, the exclusivity of the license and, in 1997, founded a new company dedicated to the production of composite hulls with this new method: ACT: Advanced Composites Technology srl first and then, with the merger with Franchini Yachts srl, became SpA (2002)
The idea was so good that today, more than 70% of the boats in quality composite in the world are made with this technology. It was so good that the ACT, which, in the meantime, has been merged also Franchini Yachts, increased to the point of calling into question the utility of continuing to produce boats with their own brand.
This is clearly an unacceptable proposition for Massimo Franchini who decided in 2002 to separate the two companies again, acquiring the brand and the specific assets of theFranchini Yachts and founding Franchini Yachts International Ltd.
Massimo, not filled with the idea to continue to produce only the “old” motorsailers, but also following a very positive trend in the segment of motoryachts, “invented” the Italian lobster and placed on the market “EMOTION 55”, recognized by all as the most beautiful lobster today on the market.
In this new adventure he found himself in competition again with his first partner: that Ferretti who was became one of the largest nautical company of the world and relied heavily on lobster boats of his trademark “Mochi Craft” to show that, once again, Franchini has been right on market trends but, as we shall see, once again, had blatantly made a wrong choice of partner.
In 2006, after a difficult start-up that sees Franchini engaged in rebuilding the company after it has been re-purchased by ACT to market the new lobster boat, made his way the Pentar SpA: a small financial company founded the year before by Maurizio Romiti and some representatives of business and financial circles in Milan created to manage the relaunch of small family looking for resources to compete on global markets.
The first approach was immediately revealed as positive because of the sharing of some basic concepts such as the gradual growth of the business, maintaining high quality standards and a “logic”divisions of tasks that included Massimo Franchini at the head of the technical area and of the product and sales strategies as well as coordinator of the technical and production office and Pentar responsible for the financial and administrative management.
In fact the first two years saw an increase in turnover of 80% per year and a consolidation of market share also due to the improvement of products and range.
Is in mid-2008 that the problems began: the economic crisis was coming and Franchini, who expected it and feared it, pushed to adopt a policy of prudence and efficiency while the “financiers” wanted to continue to grow and, by taking advantage of their relative financial strength, took control of the company.
The capital increase allowed Pentar to go in majority but not enough to put the company inder the shelter from the crisis, that meanwhile, came with all the violence that we know.
In July 2010, noted finally that there were no conditions for business continuity, unable to do anything, Massimo Franchini and the minority shareholders refused to approve the financial statements of fact forcing the assembly to approve the liquidation of the Company.
Despite the vicissitudes of business and finance, Massimo, thanks to the experience and creativity accumulated over the years has decided to play on his own own through two companies he directly managed: The MASSIMO FRANCHINI SRL that deals with design and consultancy and FRANCHINI WORKSHOP SRL, service company, brokerage and assistance.
May 2012: NICE TO MEET YOU ALL AGAIN!
