HP Watermakers opens new flagship warehouse in Fort Lauderdale

The expansion of HP Watermakers, the Milan-based company of fully automatic watermaker for yachting and luxury resorts, continues unabated. Just a few months after the inauguration of the Dubai showroom (a fundamental point of reference for the Middle East market), we are ready to celebrate the opening of the Fort Lauderdale “flagship warehouse”, a base for the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. It adds to the branches already operating in the Maldives and South Africa and to the 50 dealers operating in as many countries around the world. The timing is also highly significant, as the inauguration will be just a few days before the opening of the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (26-30 October 2022), the unmissable global event for the boating world. It is very easy to understand how important this event is for a company that exports 80% of its production, and the satisfaction of its co-founder and sales manager Gianni Zucco, who has a very special relationship with Fort Lauderdale.

“Many years ago, when I was still a student and the business was in its early days, I went to Viareggio to see a possible customer,” he remembers. “The first question I was asked was, 'But who do you have in Fort Lauderdale?' Since then, this little town in Florida, which I admit I had never heard of, has become my obsession, and today I can say that I have achieved an important personal goal, but also a major milestone for my company.”

This finishing point has now become a new start line. Today, HP Watermakers is the supplier of the world's most important shipyards: from Italian ones such as Azimut, Benetti, Absolute and Sanlorenzo, to the Turkish shipyard Alia Yachts and the American shipyard Bering, right up to the Emirati Majesty Yacht and back to Italy with Rossinavi - to name just a few. This virtual tour of the world underlines how HP Watermakers products are installed on yachts that sail far and wide. But there is no doubt that a large concentration is to be found in the United States, and in Florida and the Caribbean in particular. Hence the need, as that Viareggio-based customer had rightly enquired about, back when world yachting was not as developed as it is now, for an on-site presence directly controlled by the parent company in Milan.

“Currently, the priority is to guarantee our customers have the best and most timely service because, as is our established policy, we do not only ensure high quality standards, but also a prompt and professional after-sales service," Zucco continues. "An emblematic example is what happened a few weeks ago: a US-based Absolute dealer contacted us for a replacement for a card that had burnt out, and asked if it could be obtained within a fortnight. I phoned our partner in Fort Lauderdale, David Di Meco, and the new card was delivered exactly one and a half hours after the first e-mail. This is what I mean by customer support, but it is only the beginning.”

It is no secret that good customer support also drives a better overall image of the product in combination with its technical merits, and HP Watermakers merits are indisputable thanks to its fully automated technology. It should not be forgotten that HP Watermakers is the first company in its sector to develop its own interface (called Part-NET) that is fully compatible with the on-board electronic systems of brands such as Raymarine, Garmin, Furuno, Simrad, B&G and Lowrance. In this way the user can control the entire desalination system, including pressure and all other operating parameters, from the plotter on the dashboard, or even from a smartphone when an internet connection is available, without any manual intervention required.

“I make no secret of the fact that the objective immediately following the first important step of opening our US 'flagship warehouse' is to also make it the driving force for further penetration into the American market, by creating a network of sub-dealers and increasing our presence in many local shipyards. Our participation, for the second time, in the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (stand #498) is a further step to begin a new expansion path with great prospects that we had already planned with IBEX in September, which was unfortunately cancelled due to Hurricane Ian," concludes Zucco.

Now all that remains to be done is to remind you that the HP Watermakers “flagship warehouse” in Fort Lauderdale is located at 1017 SE 17th Street at F3 Marina, within walking distance of the headquarters of all major shipyards.