Interview Rob Luijendijk Superyacht Business

SUPERYACHT BUSINESS
Issue 41 | September 2014
www.superyachtbusiness.net
Industry insight for decision makers
IMS
A full report on the
ex-military yard with
massive refit capacity
Bunkering focus
With commercial suppliers entering
the market the sector is becoming
increasingly competitive
w NEW-BUILD ROUND-UP: TURKEY | w INDUSTRY INSIDER: BUNKERING & FUEL SUPPLIES | w YARD INSIGHT: IMS
Rob
Luijendijk
The MD of Amels on the importance of
delivering on schedule and continuous
communication amongst the workforce
+
Heesen Yachts
The future of fast
displacement hulls
Investing in
Baglietto
SEPTEMBER 2014 | ISSUE 41
Plans afoot to transform
the iconic brand
Infrastructure
Montenegro
The latest developments
Turkey report
Build quality and
working conditions
continue to improve
The interview
Rob Luijendijk
CAREER
DETAILS
w Current role: MD of Amels B.V
w Work experience: Luijendijk’s first
role in the marine industry was
with De Valk as a yachtbroker from
1993 to 1999. From 1999 to 2004
Luijendijk worked as a sales manager
for Damen Shipyards Latin America
before becoming commercial director
of Amels B.V in 2004. In 2007 he
was made managing director. He
is married to Marina and has two
children, Lotje (10) and Ebe (8).
Rob Luijendijk
MD | Amels
The MD of Amels has his plate full, juggling the needs of the workforce
and extremely demanding clients. He tells SB about his daily life at the
shipyard as well as his belief in total company connectivity
INTERVIEWED BY JULIET BENNING
ob Luijendijk isn’t an easy man to pin
down. With a very full diary it takes some
comprehensive emailing before we find a
date that suits, and that is later cancelled
due to a last minute client meeting — but
any superyacht journalist will concede
that the client is always the absolute priority and
consequently rearrangements were undertaken swiftly
and with good grace.
The taxi takes me from Antwerp airport to the
commercial harbour of the small Dutch town of
Vlissingen. The area, though industrial, is orderly and
seems to hum with a dynamic kind of efficiency. Here,
occupying the west side of the harbour entrance, is the
Amels yard. On approach the pride the yard takes in its
work is immediately obvious — displayed on the flanks
of the outer shed is a large poster depicting an Amels
yacht confidently charging along, cutting through the
water with gusto.
After driving through the yard I am deposited outside
a one-storey office complex and once within, in a neat
meeting room, I meet the company’s MD. Looking leaner
than in the photos I had seen, Luijendijk, is a tall man
with a head of pale curls. With blue eyes under light
brows and a warm smile, Luijendijk greets me by
immediately apologising for rescheduling our original
interview date. Despite running one of the most
successful yachtbuilding operations in the industry,
Luijendijk doesn’t set out to be revered. He places great
emphasis upon keeping his feet “firmly on the ground”
and integrating with the workforce. Some of this is
played out in the Amels bar, which was extracted
SEPTEMBER 2014 | WWW.SUPERYACHTBUSINESS.NET 65
The interview
from an Amels yacht,
reclaimed for staff
purposes, and which
provides a social hub
of connectivity.
“Every month we stop a
little bit earlier and we
gather in the bar to talk
about everything that’s
going on; the new
contracts, the deliveries,
which boat shows we’ve
done and how we’re progressing on the current builds.
We try to update people with all the interesting news.”
And the Amels staff are keen to embrace captains,
owner’s reps, engineers and crew into their family, as
Luijendijk elaborates, “We have a lot of owners reps in
the shipyard, technical reps and captains, chief
engineers and crew and there again we also try to have
them involved in the process.” The bar acts as a social
adhesive for the different shipyard entities including the
sub-contractors with whom Amels builds longstanding
relationships built on trust.
This fits in with a great philosophy of strong and
continuous communication that acts as the lifeblood of
Amels, “We believe, as staff, you should be aware of all
the developments from the commercial side of the
market” Luijendijk explains. “Of course there’s the
internet and the magazines, but it’s good to involve
people in what’s happening. It’s a glamorous business
and though we are simple shipbuilders we liaise with
Amels builds longstanding
relationships with its
subcontractors
the glamorous world of
superyacht shipbuilding
and of this connection
it is good to inform
your employees.”
Luijendijk’s conversation
weaves in and out of
themes of connectivity and keeping processes quick and
compact, no matter how large the company may become
— whether it be connecting the staff to the glamorous
nature of the end market or the sales team returning to
the office to communicate the current trends of different
markets. These ideas appear to come from the man who
can certainly be considered the godfather of Amels,
Kommer Damen. His philosophies act as a strong
guidance in the daily activities at Amels.
Jewel of the group
Amels, as a branch of the multi-national shipbuilding
goliath, Damen, is thought of by company head,
Kommer Damen, as “The jewel in the crown of the
whole group.” Luijendijk elaborates on the Damen
approach towards sales, “Mr Damen believes in the
concept that when you travel for sales you should
regularly return to the head office because then there is
a good interaction between the development of the
TO THE POINT
Why were you originally drawn
to the marine industry and what
was your first job?
I have a background in economics
and I worked for one of the
Dutch banks for a year and a
half. But let’s say that was not
my preferred environment to
work in — a lot of bureaucracy,
a lot of bosses. So I decided to
make a move and started off at
De Valk Yacht brokers. There I
started off selling smaller yachts
before working for four years on
sales with Damen Latin America.
I love boats. I thought I need to
do something that is not just
about making money but about
something I have a passion for. I
really liked it so I could work for
long days easily because I just
enjoyed doing the job.
Do you enjoy being on the water
yourself?
I do like sailing, although when
66 WWW.SUPERYACHTBUSINESS.NET | SEPTEMBER 2014
you work in boats you sail less for
sure. I still have a small Hobie Cat
and that’s the only way I find a
way to sail myself and with
the kids.
How do you think the market is
faring and how are you placed
among your competitors?
The market is still growing —
the world is still growing and
the group of wealthy people
is still growing so I think you
can only speak out of your own
perspective and of your concept.
Consider how can you continue
in your own success in the right
way? There you really have to
look at the market. We’ve done
three refits this winter period and
we’re seeing work coming from
re-sales. Two of the boats were
re-sales which we sold to new
clients, so again we’re very happy
that the clients have come back
to the original shipyard to do the
works, which contributes to the
value of the yacht when it will be
sold in future. And also for us its
good to show how we handle our
refits, maybe to sell a new vessel
in future.
Do you have any capacity in the
yard at the moment?
We have quite a few projects on
the way but we are still capable.
We could still deliver in 2017.
We have a few 55s, 180, 199, all
under construction — the whole
range of Limited Editions. Several
are multiple projects. In total we
have nine projects up to end
of 2016.
What brings you satisfaction in
your job?
What I like the most is when you
meet the client it’s very nice to
experience how they enjoy their
vessel. I enjoy my Hobie Cat
14 when I’m with my son and
Rob Luijendijk
product and the sales. He doesn’t believe that a
salesman should only communicate by phone or email.
He believes you should come back and look the people in
the eye and explain to them where the market is going.
You still keep contact with your production and your
development departments and you stay as one company.
You keep yourself small in a way.”
He continues with more insight into this approach to
business, “Although the Damen Group is a big company
— $1.7 billion turnover, 9,000 people, 35 shipyards —
and even though we are a multi-national company, we
still want to stay small and that’s what attracted me as
a person to work here. I like to work in an environment
where you have direct contact with the people, whether
it’s in the office or on the shop floor. I don’t like the
difference between the two. There’s always a gap
between the office and the production side in every
company but here again, what I learnt from Damen, is
that you should be aware of where the boats have come
from and don’t start to become arrogant and don’t get
this disconnection between the production development
and the sales.”
Luijendijk describes how the physical one-storey lay
out of the office contributes to connectivity, “When you
walk around you’re very close to the sheds. We have a
one floor office so you will pass your colleagues
everyday through this one corridor. It sounds very
simple but it protects you from becoming too big and
seeing people only every two or three weeks instead of
being around. We have 200 fixed employees and we
have another 300 walking around. You should always
Client satisfaction
is a major motivator
for Luijendijk
daughter and we share the same
smile you see on the face of the
clients on their finished Amels
yacht. I really appreciate it. I like to
see the person happy — whether
it’s a small or a large boat — life
is short, the more you laugh and
the more you feel good, well it’s
a great thing and that’s what we
are aiming for. The enjoyment of
being on the water with family and
friends — that’s fundamental.
look at whether you are capable of being flexible, of
being able to listen to each other, being able to feel
what’s happening in the company. We’ve been growing
a lot in the last ten years — we’ve gone from 40 to 200
people. In turnover we went from 60 to 70 million euros
to almost 250 million now for the coming year, which is
a considerable growth.”
This smooth flow of communication, even from the
top-level staff on the boards, allows Amels to be flexible
and nimble in its decision making processes. “Mr Damen
is very easy to reach.” Luijendijk explains, “Decisions can
be made quickly. All the companies of Damen are very
autonomous in their decision making. Of course every
three months we report to the board, but we have a
great liberty in developing things.”
Kommer Damen’s approach to standardising the
building of commercial vessels was the starting point for
Decisions can be made quickly. All the
companies of Damen are very autonomous
in their decision making
the Amels Limited Edition range of yachts. Luijendijk
was fundamental in the birth of the winning formula,
which came about swiftly, “In 2005, Mr Damen said I
had an idea to build a series of high quality semi-custom
yachts and together we wrote the business plan and
then very quickly he told us to go ahead with it.”
Long-term vision
Luijendijk is keen to impress upon me not only the vital
Amels’ values of yachts of superior quality and value,
but also the company’s established nature and future
longevity, “I think what is different to what you often
see in the market is that Mr Damen has a long-term
vision and he doesn’t step out if times get tough because
he likes shipbuilding. It’s not like there are equity funds
or investors jumping in and jumping out, so this
long-term philosophy and this plan for building on
standardised platforms he had in place for some time
already. It was implemented in 2005 and then developed
well. We were very happy with the way we were able to
develop in the last 10 years, with the way we were able
to execute this business plan, having five series from
650 gross tonnes up to 3,000 gross tonnes, and we’ve
had the opportunity to build hulls on stock with the
quality we like. We never really ran too fast. We grew, in
turnover and in people, but we always did it at the pace
we thought was best. All the Limited Editions left on
time and without any claims whatsoever and also with
the best paint jobs. And we have a lot of repeat clients.”
With the resale market flooded, Luijendijk is focused
on providing a yacht that will keep as much of its value
as possible. “First of all it starts off with quality and
reliability — that’s what we focus on, and as Amels we
want the best quality and within a reliable platform. So
new or existing clients coming into the market who
have already owned a boat — there are the two things
where we focus and that we try to express in our
SEPTEMBER 2014 | WWW.SUPERYACHTBUSINESS.NET 67
The interview
Clockwise from top left:
Luijendijk with Bouwe
Bekking - the Team Brunel
skipper in the Volvo
Ocean Race, the Amels
yard, Amels 199, Amels
272, with the family
products, first of all, in the way we work, and the
people, and also in the promotional materials and
the branding — it has to connect well to these
two factors. We will continually do our upmost to keep
up those standards and become even better.”
Alongside the emphasis on the quality, reliability and
the quick turnaround of Amels yachts, the company is
geared towards a positive experience for the client and
much of Luijendijk’s day-to-day activities revolve around
the client’s needs. “Everybody understands that when
the client steps in I drop my pen. Together with [sales
manager] Johan Kaasjager, we’re the first point of
contact with the clients. People tend to want to see the
sales person but also the MD. So I travel a lot — we
have clients in every continent.
The clients seek trust and to build up a
personal relationship. What is very important is
that you have a clear line of communication
“Clients are limited on time so they give very short
notice so normally you fly the same day. That sometimes
makes the work at the office a little bit unstructured. But
everybody has the same client focus. It’s understood by
the staff, which helps a lot, and it’s not only me that
jumps in a plane but its also the preparation that needs
to be done in one day so short lines of communication
are vital. We have to be prepared to present the right
GAs, to make the right presentation. Everybody is aware
of that and there is not a lot of complaining. The
marketing materials are well prepared. That initial
meeting with the client takes just a few hours so it’s not
that you are away for weeks.”
He continues, “The client focus is a large piece of the
pie for everyone. We try to keep the company very
flexible and fast in response. The clients seek trust and
to build up a personal relationship. What is very
important is that you have a clear line of communication
68 WWW.SUPERYACHTBUSINESS.NET | SEPTEMBER 2014
Rob Luijendijk
– don’t promise things you cannot fulfill. You have to
manage expectations. They appreciate that a lot. They
are businessmen and women themselves, they have
their own business ethics as well and they very much
appreciate that you are well prepared and it’s a
professional organisation that you’re operating.”
Client drive
Reflecting on the dynamic personality of his clients
Luijendijk adds, “We’re not selling a product — we’re
trying to understand the experience. It’s important that
the clients feel that you understand their experience so
we can develop the best product. We all know that if
you leave the land and get on the water in a way you
change as a person and I think that’s also one of the
things that attracts these people. They are working so
hard so when they have a moment of their own on the
water it gives them another tranquility, another vibe.
They have this restless thing in their veins — they are
so wealthy they could even stop working but they have
this drive — to work hard, to do different things and
they have this adrenaline.”
The personalities of his super rich clients aside,
Luijendijk talks about the deep resonance he and his
staff have when a yacht leaves the yard, “Shipbuilding
has a soul and a lot of people who work here have a
spirit that connects well to sailing or to the water and
it makes you do your job differently. There is a soul in
the company and everybody is dedicated to the product.
When the yacht leaves, a project that may have taken
two or three years, it gives an emotion.”
Having demonstrated a complete commitment to
the Amels cause and talked at length about the
company’s build processes, Luijendijk relaxes visibly
when I switch my dicataphone off and, full of laughter,
regales me of a story from a recent crew outing onboard
a canal boat in Amsterdam. Evidently sharing the same
work hard, play hard ethic as many of his compatriots, I
leave the Amels yard knowing that while it is steered
under Luijendijk’s watch there will be a thriving and
connected community within.