The Working Group DEUTSCHE YACHTEN – Superyachts Germany represents a success story. Thirteen and a half years after its foundation in the autumn of 2000, the group now has 60 members which, together, successfully represent German yachtbuilding in the sector of superyachts over 20 metres in length. Teamwork, shared ideas, as well as the transfer of expertise are the cornerstones of the network. This was emphasized once again at the 50th meeting of the DEUTSCHE YACHTEN Working Group in the prominent Hafen-Klub in Hamburg.
“We must develop even greater internal cohesion in order to generate more business for everyone through the strengths of the group”. This was the guideline for the future issued by the group’s President Torsten Conradi, Managing Partner of judel/vrolijk & co and also President of DBSV, the German Boat and Shipbuilding Association. He emphasized the tremendous resources within the group and the potential of the individual firms themselves, which had formed a union in a demanding market to communicate internationally as “Made in Germany”. Germany’s strengths as a yachtbuilding location lay in its infrastructure and the quality of the managers.
Following the cancellation of the anniversary meeting scheduled for the end of 2013 due to bad weather, Conradi was delighted to see 60 attendees at the meeting. These included a number of guests from firms wishing to join or rejoin the working group. The members voted in a new steering committee in Hamburg, to which Brigitte Bischoff (Oldenburger Yacht Interior) was elected. Chaired by Torsten Conradi, the committee also includes Mathias Pein (Piening Propeller), Jan Reiners (Multiplex), Birgit Schnaase (Schnaase Interior Design) and Marcus Schuldt (Reckmann Yacht Equipment). Jörg Beiderbeck and Frank Neubelt have stood down.
Managing Director Claus-Ehler Meyer presented a slide show looking back over the group’s 49 meetings in 13 years and also illustrating its appearances at the marine trade fairs, which constitute a special focus of its work every year. The DEUTSCHE YACHTEN Working Group is represented at five to six international shows every year, from boot Düsseldorf to the Monaco Yacht Show, SMM in Hamburg and the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. A dedicated trade fair committee weighs up the importance of the event at an early stage and makes proposals as to how the group will present itself, from the lounge to the joint stand.
The members of the DEUTSCHE YACHTEN Working Group feel an obligation to uphold the values of quality, innovation, functionality, reliability and engineering, and have the capability to build the biggest yachts in the world. Every single member has many years of experience and the necessary expertise to fulfil the owner’s wishes in detail and to find a solution to any problem. Together they use their knowledge to realize projects placed in Germany to the complete satisfaction of the client.
