Interview to Mr Antonio Palumbo, President of the Malta Palumbo Shipyards Limited
You operate in a market which is continuously changing. What are the challenges that you encounter in this sector?
Our industry, both for commercial vessels and for refit and maintenance of superyachts, is very unstable since the vessels are subject to deadlines for renewal of certificates for international registers; consequently our challenge is to provide continuity to a very volatile sector. Such instability requires organisational and marketing efforts to keep on being extremely competitive. Hence our main task is to try and provide consistency and efficient planning in all the various work sectors.
What was your biggest satisfaction in 2018?
I cannot speak of one satisfaction because we had many in the past 50 years. The challenge is to keep our determination in proving our philosophy to provide continuity, security and prosperity in all the countries from where we operate.
In 2018 you have invested in various projects to provide a holistic approach to your clients. Are you reaping returns from such investments?
In 2018 we made two major acquisitions: Savona for the superyachts sector and Viktor Lenac in Croatia. In these two sites we have started operating recently and we are working very hard on these great start-ups. At this stage the return is still minimal compared to the investment but we are confident and opimistic that these yards will complement our network.
What are your plans/ goals for 2019?
We generally focus on the continuous improvement of our services particularly in cases of emergencies or urgencies. We constantly focus on new opportunities by ensuring a continuous development of our Group.
What are the values of your company?
Our most important values are certainly passion, sacrifice and recognition to each of our employees, who, together with us continuously work very hard to achieve the best for their company.
This year you have changed your role as President. What does this mean for your company?
There is no difference. I have been working for the past 50 years arriving at the yard at 7 in the morning and leaving at 8 in the evening, including week-ends. The role of a good business man is to lead by example his co-workers who are the raw material for an optimal result.
What makes you enthusiastic to keep on going?
The satisfaction and the respect from the people around me who acknowledge me both as an entrepreneur and as one of them.
What is the message that Palumbo Group would like to communicate to people out there?
This time of the year, is generally the time to review performances on the previous year and to strive to improve in the upcoming year.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all my employees (approximately one thousand excluding subcontractors) for their work and wish them all a year of happiness and prosperity.