Continuing to develop RM yachts
Arriving this autumn at RM Yachts to take responsibility for sales and the yacht range, after having spent many years in the Pogo Structures shipyard, Charly Fernbach presents the main lines of the project he wishes to carry out. When he evokes the future of the brand from La Rochelle, he evokes a history already full of changes. " RM has been in existence since 1989. There have been considerable developments since RM800 or RM900. The yard has succeeded in attracting an increasingly wide customer base. Initially it was very specialised, with people who had not found their happiness in the traditional market. Today, some customers buy their first boat from us. We are working on a new boat that will be contemporary and innovative. Today we are very contemporary in design. We're going to work to be even more contemporary in terms of technology and sailing. With the Lombard firm, we have an approach to climb the ladder and have even more fun sailing. "
An open choice of materials
Still in gestation, the new boat is still open in its design choices, particularly in terms of materials. Plywood, a distinctive feature of the RM yard's beginnings, is no longer an obvious choice. " The majority of customers do not ask themselves the question of the material when they buy a boat. It is neither a hindrance nor a priority. Keeping the plywood has an interesting bio-sourced aspect. But plastic, if it is used to build something durable, is interesting. Disposable plastic is our enemy "says Charly Fernbach.
Working with RMYachts agents
The Grand Large Yachting group has a tradition of selling boats directly to yachtsmen, while RMYachts combines this with a network of agents. This difference in culture may have worried a part of the professionals. The new sales manager wants to reassure them, indicating that RMYachts wants to first assess the situation without changing its operation in the short term. " If the agents sell boats, we have to keep them! It is also an interest in terms of local service, for example to obtain a berth " insists Charly Fernbach.
Reinvention in the face of Covid19
Faced with the new restrictions linked to the Covid pandemic19 , the site must find new strategies. " The context is complicated with the cancellation of institutional shows and also private events such as RMShows. You have to adapt and remain imaginative. Clients also adapt. This has never happened to me before selling a boat entirely by mail order with videos and 2 zoom meetings. It means that people want a boat and that there is enough confidence in the shipyard "concludes the head of RM Sales and Ranges.
