Boating New Zealand - July 2018

88 Boating New Zealand

sk any Kiwi boatie to name the irst brand of marine

stereo that comes to mind, and the name most likely to

come out is ‘Fusion’.

his market leadership is the result of nearly two

decades of continuous growth since Fusion was founded

in a shed by Kurt McNall in 1998. He was soon joined

by brother Stuart and father Colin, and they worked hard in those formative

years to develop a name for reliable and stylish innovation.

he investment in 2006 by Sir Peter Maire, better known as the founder

of Navman, gave the company the capital it needed to expand its product

range and enter into new markets.

What most Kiwis are probably not aware of, though, is that this domestic

market dominance also extends beyond our shores. According to managing

director Chris Baird, the company leads the market throughout Europe. In

fact, 75 percent of boats manufactured in Europe will likely come with one

of Fusion’s extensive range of marine stereos factory-installed.

he USA is an even more competitive market, with 17 or 18 brands

of marine entertainment systems available. hese include the massive

Japanese brands like Sony, Kenwood and Clarion, and yet, even in this

heated market Fusion is still the dominant brand. Baird says Fusion’s had

steady growth in this region for the last decade, helped by its acquisition by

electronics giant Garmin in 2014.

Fusion now focuses entirely on the premium marine audio market; it

abandoned its car audio range last year, citing the fact that car audiophiles

are in decline and that this had become a low-margin business where price is

more important than good sound.

A

WORDS BY

NORMAN HOLTZHAUSEN

PHOTOGRAPHY

SUPPLIED

feature

Boating to a beat

BELOW Fusion

Entertainment has

developed a global

reputation for its range of

quality marine electronic

products.