http://www.ibi-plus.com International Boat Industry | JUNE–JULY 2018 13
Green light for NZ refit and haul-out facility
NEW ZEALAND Orams Marine
has reached an agreement
with Panuku Development
Auckland, the city’s
redevelopment agency, to turn
the area known as Site 18 into
a facility capable of hauling
out and servicing large vessels
up to 620 tonnes. The NZ
marine industry has welcomed
the news, forecasting greater
apprenticeship numbers,
an increase in jobs and the
ability to take full economic
advantage of having theAmerica’s Cup in local waters.
Limited facilities in New
Zealand for adequately hauling
out vessels of this size means
local companies are regularly
turning away work.
“This move is a step
towards a long-term strategy
the marine industry has held
dating back to 2000,” says
NZ Marine executive director
Peter Busfield.
That strategy was to
retain parts of Auckland’s
Wynyard Quarter to createa concentrated marine
precinct. Deep-water access
to the sites, coupled with
proximity to logistical needs
and the business that Auckland
attracts, makes the area unique
in New Zealand for hosting a
thriving marine precinct.
Orams says it plans to
complete the marine elements
of the site in time for the next
America’s Cup in 2021. This
will allow it to take advantage
of the influx of vessels that will
arrive with the regatta.International Marine News HEADLINES
JAPAN In a major restructuring
of its manufacturing facilities
to improve eiciency and
increase production capacity,
Suzuki is transferring its
outboard engine production
from the original Toyokawa
plant in Aichi prefecture to its
Kosai plant in neighbouring
Shizuoka prefecture.
The new facility will be
housed in buildings formerly
used for car production but
which have been completely
redesigned and refurbished
to cater to the growingdemand for higher horsepower
outboards. Speaking to IBI on
a visit to Hamamatsu, senior
managers described the move
as a major investment which
would include the installation
of a new generation of
production machinery and
ancillary systems. The total
investment is valued at $34m
and the new plant will be fully
operational by August with
CO2 emissions 20% lower than
at the previous facility.
Suzuki is also investing
heavily on upgrading itsresearch, development and
testing facilities in Japan
as it expands its outboard
engine manufacturing
capacity. Following last year’s
introduction of the DF350A,
the most powerful engine in its
range, the company is expected
to launch new medium-range
outboard models at the Genoa
boat show in September.
Suzuki recently announced
its corporate results for 2017.
Consolidated net sales across
the total business increased by
18.5% to ¥3.7 trillion ($33.7bn)with much of the increase
down to improved car and
motorcycle sales in India and
Europe. Operating income for
the group rose 40.3% to ¥374bn
($341.5m), and ordinary income
increased by 33.5 % to ¥382bn
($348.8m).
The marine business net
sales increased by 11% to ¥75bn
($684.9m), mainly due to the
sales contribution of the new
DF350 model in North America
and Europe. Operating income
increased 15.9% year-on-year to
¥14.5bn ($132.4m).Suzuki relocates outboard production
Tag Yachts confirms business rescue
SOUTH AFRICA Tag Yachts has
gone into “business rescue” on
the back of diicult trading
conditions in 2017, MD Tim
van der Steene told IBI.
St Francis Bay-based Tag,
a cruising catamaran builder,
has been a prominent producer
for over a decade and helped
create a boatbuilding hub
in South Africa’s Eastern
Cape province. However,
stiff economic headwinds,
dwindling local demand and
currency volatility placed manylocal producers under severe
pressure last year.
Van der Steene said he
hoped Tag could attract the
necessary investment to stay
afloat. “The opportunity
for European boatbuilding
companies to JV with South
African companies hasn’t really
been explored yet,” Van der
Steene said. “There are certain
aspects of boatbuilding that are
far cheaper here, and the high-
end detailing can happen at
the yard in Europe. I think it isan opportunity. The company
is [currently] not operating,
but it hasn’t been wrapped yet.
There is still an opportunity for
a JV or for somebody to buy.
The business rescue process is
running its course,” he said.
South African Boat Builders
Export Council (SABBEX)
chairman Bruce Tedder said
Tag’s woes should be viewed in
the global context of diicult
trading conditions, although
prospects have improved
considerably in 2018.SOUTH AFRICA Following the
recent death of Willy
Persico, founder and CEO
of South Africa’s Southern
Wind Shipyard (SWS), the
company is now being run
by a tight-knit team of SWS
managers – all shareholders
in the company – with the
fundamental backing and
support of three SWS owners.
They include Marco Alberti,
who has been at SWS since
1994, Andrea Micheli, who
has worked with Persico since
2003 and became Pegaso sales
manager in 2008, Alberto Del
Cinque and Giampaolo Spera.
Del Cinque began working
at Pegaso in 1994, while
Spera was named director
of Southern Wind Shipyard
about two years ago.
The supporting group
of shareholders is made of
three owners – among them,
Juan Ignacio Entrecanales,
executive vice chairman of the
Acciona Group and a three
times Southern Wind owner.New team to
lead Southern
Wind