Marine companies globally continue to expand - MarineBusinessWorld Oceania newsletter
by Peter Rendle 10 Mar 2022 14:00 PST
Sydney International Boat Show © david@firstlightphotography.com
Following the announcement from the Boating Industry Association of Australia that gave details of the Sydney International Boat Show dates, the organization is now taking exhibitor bookings for the show.
The Sydney International Boat Show (SIBS) returns from 28 July to 1 August 2022 with the latest and greatest in all things aquatic at the International Convention Centre Sydney and Cockle Bay within the iconic surrounds of Darling Harbour. The highly anticipated event promises a stellar showcase of the boating lifestyle from the largest fleet of luxury superyachts and sailboats on water to a host of premium exhibitors displaying the latest trailer boats and marine technology.
SIBS 2022 highlights include an on-water display with more than 200 boats, 32,600sqm of indoor exhibitor space and a 5,000sqm open-air Event Deck, which is set to attract more than 60,000 boating enthusiasts when tickets go on sale in May 2022.
Despite the forecast that interest rates will rise at some stage this year, the industry continues to thrive despite the effects of Covid that inhibited leisure time on land, driving sales for on-water opportunities. Company expansions reflect this growth and we have received reports of a major development this week.
Navico, a division of Brunswick Corporation's Advanced Systems Group (ASG), and a leading global marine electronics company with brands including Lowrance®, Simrad®, B&G®, and C-MAP®, today announced the planned expansion of its Ensenada, Mexico, facility which will be completed over the next 16-18 months. The additional space will be used to increase vertical integration and production capacity to deliver the necessary volume growth to fulfil record demand for Navico's award-winning products. This marks Navico's first major expansion since joining Brunswick in October 2021 and it is expected to create more than 100 jobs in the Ensenada community.
We continue to advise readers of energy sources as they reach certain milestones in their development. An interesting example comes from New Zealand. The southern hemisphere's first fully electric, carbon fibre commuter ferry has successfully completed its inaugural round trip with a Thordon seawater lubricated propeller shaft arrangement supplied by New Zealand's Henley Engineering. Ika Rere (Mãori for flying fish) joined the East by West fleet in December operating the company's Wellington to Eastbourne route.
Commenting on the ferry's first trip, between West Queen's Wharf and Days Bay, Henley Engineering Managing Director, Mark Power, said: "Ika Rere runs like a Tesla Model S! It's fast, efficient, smooth and quiet. It is a truly inspiring vessel. We hope to be involved in more projects like this." Auckland based Henley Group - Thordon's authorized distributor for New Zealand - designed and supplied the vessel's driveshafts aft of twin 325kW battery-powered electric motors.
While engineering companies strive to lower carbon emissions, marine companies are particularly keen to clean up the oceans of debris and more specifically plastic rubbish. With hundreds of people across Australia every year participating in annual Clean Up Australia Day events, the team at Coral Sea Marina Resort decided this year was their turn to make the pledge and commit to making a difference in their own backyard.
In partnership with Tangaroa Blue Foundation and the Rotary Club of Airlie Beach, Coral Sea Marina Resort put the call out to the Whitsunday community on Sunday 6 March to come and clean up a slice of paradise. Kate Purdie, CEO of Coral Sea Marina explains, "The first Sunday in March is generally a scorcher in the tropics - and that was especially true this year, so we were thrilled to have a dedicated group of volunteers brave the heat and help us do our part by joining in the event."
As an adjunct to this news, the late Ian Kiernan was a co-founder of Clean Up Australia Day with Kim Mckay. He sailed in the 1986/1987 BOC Challenge around the world and on the trip he was appalled at how much rubbish was floating in the oceans.
A new product announced this week is Harken's new single-acting integral hydraulic backstay adjuster, which provides the power to optimize sail shape quickly for racers and adjust mast tension for smoother furling on cruisers. The innovative design incorporates a gun-drilled tube in the shaft, containing all of the hydraulic fluid inside the unit, and eliminates external hoses that can snag.
"We see sailors nursing existing backstay adjusters for years. They are replacing seals and fixing leaks; hoping to get one more year of use. The new integral unit is a simple DIY replacement that makes a huge improvement in boat performance and is also cost-effective," said Beau LeBlanc, Harken Hydraulics Sales Manager.
And a new company: HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co, focused on connected technologies and solutions for automotive, consumer, professional, and enterprise markets, announced today it has launched a new group of their OEM Special Markets business to directly focus attention on its existing marine brands, Infinity® and JBL®, as well as to launch Harman Kardon® into the marine market - Harman Kardon Marine.
Harman's legendary brands have been introducing important innovations in audio for more than 65 years, and the company continues to further develop new ways of enriching the audio/visual experience. From state-of-the-art professional audio systems and surround sound systems for the home, to market-leading in-car audio, headphones, and portable speakers Harman delivers premium audio experiences. More than 50 million automobiles on the road today are equipped with Harman audio and connected car systems.
There's more marine industry news on the website at www.marinebusinessworld.com/Oceania
Keep safe and dry!
Peter Rendle - peter.rendle@marinebusinessworld.com