Mr. Dubens coup!With North Sails, Quantum and Doyle, the world’s largest sailing group is born

There is another summer market coup after yesterday’s one regarding the acquisition of Nautor Swan by the Sanlorenzo Group.

North Sails, Quantum Sails, Doyle Sails: the world’s largest group of sailmakers is born

The world’s largest sailmaking group has been born. Quantum Sails and Doyle Sails have announced their merger with North Technology Group (NTG), the company(controlled since 2014 by British financier Peter Dubens’ Oakley Capital Private Equity) that also owns North Sails. The world’s leading sailmaker, North gets together with the second and third international players.

The reason for the merger

The reason for the operation is quickly explained. North Technology Group thus covers the entire sailing world: in addition to the “transversal” world of North Sails (dinghies, racing, cruising) it secures that of maxi yachts well manned by Doyle (which has strategic partnerships with attractive events, for example, it is Official Sailmaker of the Sail GP circuit) and that of “racing” monotypes (the Clubswan 50 and TP52 come to mind as well as the Melges and J world) in which Quantum is very strong.

North, Quantum, Doyle Sails.
What will happen

What will happen now?
For now, nothing. Both Quantum and Doyle will operate as independent brands with respect to their product line, sales and marketing team, and management, while having access to NTG’s resources and technology.
These are recognized brands in each specific industry and we do not believe it is North Technology Group’s intention to “destroy” them with an internecine war.

It is certain, therefore, that the 3DI technology that characterizes North Sails’ latest generation of sails (which allows, using a composite of Dyneema fibers combined with carbon and aramid fibers, to create sails with a rigid structure customized to the owner’s needs) will not be available to other brands for now.
And vice versa, Quantum’s iQ Tecnhology (a patented system for performing virtual testing and complex analysis of aerodynamic performance and determining the ideal structural requirements of each sail) or Doyle’s cableless and structured luff technologies (which allows for the elimination of sail anti-twist cables and distributes loads between the sails and the boats’ rig) will not be for North.

But this may change in the future: certain is that sharing the supply chain and logistics will benefit all three brands.

Dubens as Gardini

Back to Englishman Peter Dubens, 58, who has controlled North Technology Group with his company since 2014.

Its strategy includes mergers and acquisitions of various brands in the sailing world: NGT in addition to North Sails and North Sails Apparel (the dedicated apparel brand), owns Hall Spars and Southern Spars (masts), Sailmon (electronic instruments), Future Fibres (composite rigging and cables), Yacht Scoring (online race management programs), among others.

It reminds us a bit of what entrepreneur Raul Gardini did, more than 30 years ago, who, during the America’s Cup campaign of the Moro di Venezia brought together, under the name Tencara (this is the name of the shipyard in Porto Marghera) the best of Italian and international technology by acquiring companies and know-how.
It is no coincidence that the Moro was a great technological gymnasium and from there the first carbon sails came out…

And just as Gardini was, Dubens is a great sailing enthusiast: very reserved, he is, however, often seen on the race courses with his Maxi 72 North Star (the former Ran II that he bought from Skype founder Niklas Zennstrom), and in 2014 he commissioned Frers for a super daysailer, the 60-foot (18-meter) Spectre: a technology powerhouse built by Persico Marine.

E.R.