In 2023, Quick Group acquired Nemo Industrie, an Italian manufacturer with a reputation for tailor-made marine solutions. Nemo is now building on its legacy of craftsmanship to expand its reach and custom project portfolio.
Under Quick Group’s umbrella, Nemo is sharpening its focus on the powerboat and superyacht markets, developing new product lines and leveraging synergies across the group’s four companies.
Customisation at scale: Nemo prepares for next phase of growth
“I’m aiming to develop the superyacht division for all four companies that make up the Quick Group,” explains Lorenzo Cesari, former CEO of Nemo and now head of sales for the superyacht division at Quick Group.
[Quick, one of the world’s leading manufacturers and suppliers of marine equipment for the yacht and superyacht sectors, acquired Sanguineti, Nemo, Xenta and US-based YMS during a recent period of strategic repositioning.]
Specialising in custom solutions for motorboats, Nemo is traditionally active in the 12-45m sector but Cesari notes the company is now making significant inroads in the superyacht market.
“We have three or four projects for superyachts currently underway that will be equipped with patio doors by Nemo,” adds Cesari.
“For each vessel, the doors will be custom-built. Nemo will deliver the first doors to the shipyard in question this October but the yacht will not rollout until 2026. We expect to see superyachts on display at shows such as Cannes Yachting Festival equipped with Nemo patio doors in 2026.”
Innovation and integration
Nemo’s product range spans high-end doors, portholes, hinged and non-hinged hatches, flybridge hatches, and more.
“It’s a standout feature of Nemo that the products are mainly custom-built – the spec is defined by the shipyard, and we are totally at the disposal of our customer to develop the exterior solution they want.”
Nemo manages the entire production cycle – from design and material selection through manufacturing, assembly and rigorous quality controls.
“We are working with both well-known Italian and European shipyards” continues Cesari, “and have plans to develop many more relationships.”
Cesari sees Quick Group’s strong global presence as a model. “Our target today is to make Nemo even more international. And, of course, we are forging synergies among the group companies in terms of sales as well.”
Vistamare slimline portholes
Trends in glazing are also shaping Nemo’s strategy. “Nemo has been a market leader in the porthole market for some time. Up till around 2000, most of the light and air exchange in a vessel design was via portholes. But designs have evolved – with glass where before there was just GRP. Equally, customers now want sleeker, more ergonomic portholes to align with modern yacht aesthetics.”
The company’s newest porthole range is its Vistamare series of slimline portholes. The ultra-slim frame creates a streamlined profile that integrates seamlessly into yacht designs. The absence of visible screws gives the porthole a clean and refined appearance, in line with contemporary design standards.
Targeting 10-30m yachts, Vistamare broadens Nemo’s customer base beyond its existing and successful Luxury and Royal porthole ranges.
The Vistamare series features adjustable tension hinges for smooth operation, frame-integrated hinges for durability. Thanks to Nemo’s custom service, the portholes can be tailored to rectangular, elliptical or oval shapes. The range is offered in three sizes (150mm, 200mm and 250mm), with optional fibre optic alarm integration.
“Vistamare can work with an automation system, enabling crew to detect if the porthole is open or closed before setting off.”
Airlock Pantograph Door
Another key Nemo innovation is the Airlock Pantograph Door.
“We are well known for pantograph doors and have customers in UK, Spain, Germany and all over Europe. Until recently we had two models; a manual and a semi-automatic pantograph but this is the first time we have made a fully automatic pantograph door with an inflatable seal.”
Cesari says the development of this product is part of an effort to expand Nemo’s offerings to superyacht customers.
Designed for side-access openings, Nemo’s Airlock Pantograph Door (shown closed, left) uses a simple push-button control panel for easy opening and closing, with the addition of an automatic inflatable airlock seal to ensure watertightness. It is powered by a 24V DC supply.
“When the door is locked, there is a built-in air pumping system that inflates the seal,” he adds.
“Thus, if you have a heavy duty application – such as in the case of a catamaran, which can take on a lot of water upfront, customers can use the airlock to further increase the water tightness of our doors.”
The inflatable seal also compensates for GRP flexing, a key advantage for boatbuilders.
“GRP is alive to some extent – the hull and the superstructure can move over time, which can lead to gaps between the superstructure and the door,” Cesari explains. “With the inflatable seal, you can prevent water ingress even if the hull has suffered a lot of movement as the seal can expand to perfectly fill the gap.”
The patent-pending system is aimed at 70-165ft yachts and is fully customisable – from size and shape to finishes, and even seal colour.
The door is designed to withstand the most challenging conditions, ensuring the seal – which is maintained at a constant pressure – is never compromised and safety on board is always assured. An emergency handle can be specified to ensure manual operation with the door’s design enabling it to be opened or closed by all members of the crew, and the seal can also be inflated manually in case of power failure.
Using an airlock door confers other benefits too, reducing the need for maintenance on supports or levers as a perfect seal is always guaranteed, and mitigating heat or cooling transfer thus increasing the boat’s energy efficiency.
Shipyard uptake is building. “What we see in the pantograph door, but also in the patio door segments, is that shipyards are increasingly asking for fully automatic doors. When a boat is over 75ft, I can tell you 90 per cent of the cases they are electric driven, fully automatic.”
Market reception has been positive. Partly due to the price point, yards are offering the new pantograph door as an option.
“We have offered a technical solution in response to some specific needs voiced by customers. Most shipyards have decided to offer as optional equipment in their price list.”
Cesari expects adoption to accelerate, with “two or three impressive premieres” due at Cannes Yachting Festival 2026.
Building a win-win route to purchasing
Quick Group is increasingly aligning purchasing, production, marketing and sales across its four companies.
“We are aiming to be a one-stop supplier, and to be able to increase our products and supply packages and suites of products for each specific boat.
“We are continuously developing our superyacht offering. I believe we can amplify Nemo in this segment and gain more traction, enabling us to also offer a wider portfolio to our shipyards.”
For Cesari, meeting customer expectations requires more than product quality alone.
“In terms of what the market demands, it is not enough to simply have a good product at the right price.
“Customers are looking for services in addition to an exemplary product. So we have improved our after sales service and we have worked hard to create an ecosystem and team that are able to support the customer in the product selection, during installation and after sales.
“Of course, my goal is to sell as much as I can, but at the same time it is convenient to a customer to purchase, lets say, 18 different product ranges from a single supplier.
And, in this way, I can offer strategical volume in terms of purchasing and more favourable price conditions – so it’s a win-win situation.”
Find out more about Nemo products.
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