Born in Recco in 1967, Andrea Razeto is the advisor and chief executive officer for F. lli Razeto e Casareto S.p.A., a company founded in 1920, manufacturing locks and handles for boats and pleasure boats. Previously vice president for Ucina Confindustria Nautica from 2012, Andrea Razeto, in 2018, also became the chairman for ICOMIA (International Council of Marine Industries Associations), the association which, since 1965, has been uniting the 40 largest national boating federations in the world, with a mission to create a single voice in the international nautical industry.

In 2015 he became vice president of the association, the members of which include: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Columbia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Japan, South Korea, Lebanon, Malta, Holland, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Great Britain and USA.

Mr Razeto, we could say that your handles have opened the door to international boating. How have you managed to bring together an object used in daily life, like a handle, to the high level of specialisation you have reached in the nautical and naval industry?

We don’t only manufacture handles, actually handles are only one of the many products designed and manufactured by us. We produce nearly 500 different items, mainly locks and accessories for doors and furniture on board. You can find our products on all types of boats and vessels, both in Italy and abroad (we export about 50% of our products): from cruise ships to ferries, military vessels and super yachts, motor boats and sail boats, both on doors and external parts, as well as the interior.

Our specialisation is the result of constant updating and listening to client needs, which over the years, through the evolution of technology, has led us to make products which were created, designed and built to be used on board boats and vessels, meaning they are in constant movement and therefore subject to shaking due to waves, engine vibrations, and the saline environment. This means we have to be careful in our choice of materials, so they are not subject to corrosion, like bronze and stainless steel, but also regarding the robustness of the components and the special design of the mechanisms.

Only in more recent times, following market demand and the increasingly demanding owners, we launched a line of exclusive handles, bringing together technology, art, and design, working together with excellent companies to find practical solutions that adapt luxury items for use at sea.

First you were vice president of Ucina, now you chair an association which aims to make 40 different countries agree. In Italy, and around the world, will the nautical industry be able to speak in a single voice or at least in some sort of harmony?

I thank you about how you phrased this question. I would like to clarify that, if you mean there should be a single voice in the boating industry, this is already happening. Indeed, Ucina, like ICOMIA and EBI (the European association chaired by Piero Formenti) are the only associations, respectively in Italy, the world, and Europe, who represent the entire nautical chain from production to the sale of accessories, engines, vessels of every kind, port services, tourist, etc. This exclusive representativeness, which is also recognised by Confindustria, helps our associations represent our industry in all government institutions, for provisions and legislation in the name of all businesses, be they members or not.

You were born in Recco, so you have always lived near the sea. Outside of your job, what is your relationship with the sea and how often do you go?

For someone born along the Riviera like me, used to seeing the sea outside my window first thing in the morning, my relationship with the sea can only be defined as a symbiosis. In any season there is always a good reason to go the the sea: a walk along the beach, a swim, going out in the boat or even just sitting in front of the sea to watch it, read a book or enjoy a drink. When I think about holidays, the sea is the first thing I think of. One of the happiest times of my life was a few years ago when, while renovating my house, my family and I decided to live on the boat for a few months.

A sail boat or motorboat?

At home, since we were children we always used to go boating, we had a wooden skiff that, when there were no adults around, we could only use with oars. At the same time we learned how to sail, in optimist, participating in a number of regattas. Growing up, I continued to have boats, skiffs, made in wood, with which I would go out year round fishing or even just to enjoy being out at sea. My preference, however, has always been for motor boats, not necessarily fast ones, but that are efficient, robust and professional while also being comfortable, and can be enjoyed for a long time.

Giuseppe Orrù

Photos by Claudio Colombo

BOATING IN A PORTRAIT A project by Liguria Nautica and Claudio Colombo showcasing a gallery of Ligurian people or those who have ties with our region, who have left their mark on Italian boating, or who have deep rooted connections with our sea. For each of them, we present a photographic portrait take by Claudio Colombo and an interview with our journalist, Giuseppe Orrù, to better know each person, in their personal lives as well.