SAILING IN LUXURY Growing from a small family business to one of Europe’s leading yacht builders, Delphia is today a renowned brand and a proud manufacturer of some of the best sailing and motor boat vessels on the European continent. Piotr Sadowski reports.
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stablished in 1990 by brothers Piotr and Wojciech Kot, Delphia Yachts has grown to become Poland’s largest manufacturer of sailing boats. “The recent years have certainly been a very interesting period for our company,” explains Bogdan Skórkiewicz, president of the board at Delphia. “We have faced many challenges, but nevertheless we have been able to pursue our goals of introducing brand new models of vessels onto the market. In January 2011 we launched the Delphia 46CC – Central Cockpit – boat, which was premiered in Düsseldorf at the 2011 ‘boot’ trade fair. The sailing yacht was received extremely well by the market, with the industry recognising it for being a luxurious mid-size cruiser, fitted with a large engine, air-conditioning, big water tanks and, of course, a fantastic cabin design.” Another addition to the range of products offered by Delphia is the Escape 1350, which has been nominated for the ‘European Powerboat of the Year 2012’ title, with the official ceremony taking place in January 2012 at the ‘boot’ fair in Düsseldorf. It is a spacious and comfortable slow-cruising yacht, with a maximum speed of 10–12 knots, ideal for relaxed cruising. This captivating yacht, which was introduced to the market in August 2011 during the ‘Wind and Water’ trade fair in Gdynia in Poland, offers convenient accommodation for six to eight passengers and is available in a three-cabin version, with two or three bathrooms. 152 Industry Europe
Strength and credentials Delphia Yachts, despite the challenging economic times, has managed to perform very well over the course of 2011. “In 2009 we manufactured 93 sailing yachts, followed by 154 in 2010 and this year we are expecting another increase of 9–11 per cent in our output,” explains Mr Skórkiewicz. “In terms of powerboats, in 2009 their production reached 519 units, followed by a massive increase to 1188 in 2010, and again for 2011 we are forecasting a rise of several per cent.” These strong capabilities are achieved by the company’s over 400 staff, working to promote both the Delphia brand, as well as to work in partnership with a number of other global sailing brands. “We have a long-standing relationship with Brunswick, for whom we produced significant numbers of powerboats for the European market,” adds Mr Skórkiewicz. “Delphia also cooperates with the American company G-Boat for whom we produce the G80 sailing boats. So far this partnership has resulted in Delphia manufacturing over 1000 of these boats.” In order to secure its continued growth, Delphia focuses a lot of its efforts on ensuring that innovation remains one of the pillars of the business. The company has an excellent prototyping department which means it is also able to cooperate with a range of clients outside of the sailing and powerboats industry. Nevertheless, the core area
of activities is the sailing and powerboat market and Delphia manages to be in the vanguard of this particular sector in Europe. “Our yachts are designed by highly professional craftsmen who use state-of-the-art computer software and high-tech equipment, such as CNC machinery,” points out Mr Skórkiewicz. “We use infusion technology for the development of our boats. We use ERP systems in order to control and manage costs in all of our processes. Over the years we have also addressed the need for environmental protection in all areas of our operations. The company also cooperates closely with leading educational institutions in Poland, as well as with the Ship Design and Research Centre, where our boat prototypes are examined and tested.”
Investments and market growth Delphia Yachts is currently in the process of building its own department for manufacturing INOX elements for its vessels – previously such items were bought from external suppliers. The company is also strengthening its prototyping department to ensure its maximum efficiency and effectiveness in carrying out final surface works on vessels. “Another area of innovation is the purchase of a CNC machine for the furniture department which will ensure that the internal fittings of our vessels meet the highest standards and satisfy the expectations of the most discerning customers,” says Mr Skórkiewicz.
