There are companies that cherish the past. And there are others that use it as a starting point. Boero undoubtedly belongs to the latter category. Founded in 1831, it is one of around two hundred Italian companies that can boast almost two centuries of activity.
A fact that might seem merely celebratory, were it not accompanied by a rare ability: that of continually evolving without losing its identity. Over nearly two centuries, materials, technologies, production processes and market demands have changed. Even the role of paint has changed, evolving from a simple protective element to an essential component of the design.
Boero, the historic heart of the current Boero Group, has navigated all these transformations whilst continuing to invest in research and innovation. A key milestone came in 2021, when the Buono family chose to entrust the company’s future to the Portuguese group CIN. More than an acquisition, it was a coming together of two organisations united by the same entrepreneurial culture. The Serrenho family already had in-depth knowledge of the Boero Group, in which they had been shareholders for years, and were able to ensure its strategic continuity by integrating it into a group that is now ranked tenth in Europe and thirty-third worldwide in the paints and varnishes sector. Joining CIN has opened up new prospects.
On the one hand, it has enabled the company to benefit from the economies of scale typical of a large international group; on the other, it has fostered a continuous exchange of expertise between different yet complementary organisations. Today, technologies developed in the industrial sector are being applied to yachting, whilst solutions created for the nautical sector are contributing to the evolution of other markets. It is precisely this cross-fertilisation that represents one of the main drivers of growth. The figures confirm this positive trend.
The CIN Group generates a turnover of around 450 million euros, whilst the Boero Group closed 2025 with a turnover exceeding 140 million, representing a 20 per cent increase on the previous year. Even more significant is the investment in research and development: since 2010, the company has consistently dedicated 3 per cent of its turnover to innovation, a commitment reaffirmed by the new ownership and regarded as one of the key factors in its competitiveness. But it would be a mistake to think that innovation arises exclusively within a laboratory.
When one imagines a research and development centre, test tubes, resins, pigments and technicians busy fine-tuning new formulations immediately spring to mind. This is an accurate image, but only partly so. For Boero Yacht Coatings, a brand within the Gruppo Boero’s yachting division and an international benchmark in professional coating solutions for yachts and superyachts, research begins long before entering the laboratory.
It begins in shipyards, along the quaysides, during a refit or in front of a newly launched hull. It is here that the daily dialogue takes shape with designers, owners, applicators and site managers – the people who, more than anyone else, understand the market’s needs, challenges and expectations. Every observation, every suggestion and every experience becomes valuable information that fuels the innovation process.
The laboratory only comes into play later, with the task of transforming these insights into concrete solutions. The method followed is that of design thinking: we start with an intuition and develop it through dozens of different formulations, experimenting with resins, pigments, additives and ever-changing combinations.
At this stage, there are no limits, because the aim is to explore all possible alternatives before identifying the most promising one. This is followed by a rigorous selection phase. Each prototype undergoes increasingly stringent tests to verify its mechanical and chemical resistance, corrosion protection, durability and compatibility with different substrates and environmental conditions.
However, for Boero Yacht Coatings, the laboratory represents only the first step. No simulation can, in fact, faithfully reproduce what happens at sea. For this reason, every new formulation is entrusted to shipyards and applicators to be tested under real-world conditions. Only by comparing it with day-to-day experience can we gather the latest feedback, refine the product and verify its long-term reliability. It is only when the sea itself confirms the results obtained in the laboratory that a formulation can become a product. Or, as they prefer to say at Boero, a solution.
Matteo Zaccagnino
