Cmc Marine prepares acquisitions

Cmc, an Italian company at the top of the world market in the production of stabilisation and steering systems for yachts from 38 to 90 metres, has just completed a series of investments, worth a total of 10 million, aimed at the internalisation of production and the internationalisation of its sales and service network. And now it is looking at new acquisitions.

This was revealed by Alessandro Cappiello, the company's CEO, who describes the projects underway, carried out with the support of his son Pietro, who is also at the company's helm, with the position of vice-president and the task of looking after some crucial sectors for the company: research, development, innovation and marketing. Cmc, "with 90 employees and a turnover of around 33 million a year (40% from abroad) has the objective," explains Cappiello senior, "of reaching 50 million in 3-4 years, expanding the business to fast ferries, patrol boats and supply vessels (the support vessels, for example, for offshore platforms, ndr).

Between 2023 and 2025, he says, 'we have completed a EUR 10 million investment, announced three years ago and developed along three tracks. The first, relates to internalisation: we have acquired a production site of 10,000 square metres, 2,400 of which are covered, at the Salerno EEZ, for mechanical components and composite materials. It took us six months to start up and it must be said that the Special Economic Zone is working very well. 4.5 million of the 10 million allocated went there'.

Another investment, Cappiello continues, 'focused on a new organisation of the US office in Fort Lauderdale. We were already present in the US with the service, but the start had been at the end of 2018 and we suffered the setback imposed by the Covid epidemic. So we restarted at the beginning of 2023 with new management and a series of hires: we are investing in the spare parts sales network and in refits. There we have committed around 2 million. And the reason we went to the US is that we have a natural vocation for internationalisation. After all, Cmc is the largest producer of stabiliser fins in the world. On the other hand, we do not intend to produce in the US: it would be uneconomical because raw materials are more expensive in America than in Italy and, on top of that, there are taxes and higher labour costs. Better to pay tariffs'.

The third investment track focused on Milan. 'There,' Cappiello emphasises, 'we have created and strengthened the research centre, which, among other things, deals with intelligent systems and machine learning, which we also need to guarantee after-sales service at all times. In addition, there is the development of new products. And the total investment came to 3.5 million'.