Boat maker Seaway Yachts sold more than 300 of its Greenline hybrid boats in the last three years, which makes Greenline vessels the biggest fleet of hybrid boats in the world.
Begunje na Gorenjskem, 22 February (STA) – Boat maker Seaway Yachts, a part of Seaway group, sold more than 300 of its Greenline hybrid boats in the last three years, which makes Greenline vessels the biggest fleet of hybrid boats in the world. This propelled Seaway among top global boat makers.
Last year, Seaway invested foremost into its brand names and their development as well as in the development centre of new materials and technologies based in Puconci in the north-east.
The facility there will be finished in mid-July, while the work at the centre should start between September and April 2014. About 120 people are expected to be hired, of which 30 to 40 should get the job this year. The Seaway group’s staff currently counts 220 people.
CEO Japec Jakopin said at a press conference on Friday that Seaway’s sales topped EUR 32m last year but the company just broke even at the end of the year. The plan for this year includes further growth in sales and a profit of EUR 1m.
Seaway’s growth plans are based on the Greenline series of boats, based on new hybrid technologies and green composite construction, which generated EUR 2.3m in revenue in 2009 and EUR 16.7m in 2012, while the planned revenue for this year is EUR 19.8m.
Greenline is being sold in 35 countries and has received 21 awards, which is a record among nautical industry products. So far 333 boats have been sold, while another 153 are expected to be sold in 2013, according to Jakopin.
Currently a new model, Greenline 33 Hybrid Taxi, is being tested, while Greenline 46 is to be presented at the end of the year, to be followed by OceanClass 57.
Seaway also plans to expand in other fields, from green energy and aeronautics to car industry and the industry of composite materials.
Jakopin noted that it was crucial to built new brands amidst fierce global competition.
“we have to overcome this slave economy without identity – Slovenia mainly works for foreign corporations – and build our own brands…The talent, know-how and creativity we have here must be turned into services and products that we sell under our own brands.”