Future focused

The company recently completed a $13 million expansion of its production facility at the Coomera Marine Precinct on Queensland’s Gold Coast and at the same time set in place the strongest global network of representatives in the brand’s 15-year history.

Maritimo CEO Garth Corbitt said the facility forms the foundation of the brand’s global expansion strategy that has already seen the company achieve their most successful years ever in 2018 and 2019 with record figures of 30 percent sales growth recorded. Sales into the USA so far this calendar year (up to mid-November) are up 60 percent on the same period in 2018 year.

“Never before have we been so well established to take the brand forward and increase our awareness levels and ultimately sales in the most significant international markets,” he said.

“This global expansion strategy has been formulated by the senior management team over a period of years and it has been necessary to get the foundations set correctly before embarking on that journey.

“Naturally you have to have the product and the capacity at the back end to achieve that and we are confident we have” he said.

“Our product line is as diverse as it has ever been, our investment into new product development has been extremely successful, all with our physical production footprint doubling in the past 18 months providing the capacity for future expansion.”

Maritimo General Manager Operations, Phil Candler, said the factory expansion enabled Maritimo to diversify its product range and ultimately increase the size of its vessel offerings without interfering with current production.

“The new advanced facilities are capable of developing projects up to 100 feet, which enables great flexibility of new product offerings for future product expansion,” he said.

“We now have Design and New Product Development divisions located together for better integration of design into new product prototypes and tooling, with more productive flow of ideas and information between design and production.”

The total plant area now covers 4.664 hectares and the expansion increased overall building area by 52 percent.

The recently announced Maritimo One custom division, enabling Maritimo owners to make significant changes to their base model vessels, is also located in the new advanced facilities.

“Maritimo has been internationally renowned for the level in which it enables client customisation, where most other brands have set limitations,” said company lead designer and brand director, Tom Barry-Cotter.

“Due to the company’s sales success and subsequent growth of production in recent times, the need surfaced for a more systemised approach to the customisation of boats in order to maintain production efficiencies within the standard model range.”

“Maritimo One was established to uphold the brand’s identity and reputation for enabling customers to tailor a vessel to their specific needs or environment, whilst taking the potential degree of that customisation to new levels.”

It is all about one-on-one design and development time with customers and providing a personalised service that results in Maritimo One customers getting a boat that is a one off and unlike another other vessel.”

Its first major project, a massive M72 motor yacht specifically designed for serious sports fishing in the untamed waters north of New Zealand’s north island has already been handed over to its excited owners.

The vessel had more than 200 customised changes from the production model including an extended sport cockpit and transom re-design, designed specifically for fishing.

The development of three heavily customised M-Series Flybridge Motoryachts tailored to a range of customer needs has been underway since January 2019.

Maritimo sights are set on further expansion within domestic and international markets into 2020, with recent new appointments in New Zealand and North America and further representative appointments in negotiation in all new markets for the brand.

These appointments will coincide with further investment into domestic and international boat show and marketing programs, helping showcase more Maritimo’s at exhibitions across the globe.

Maritimo Sales Americas’ President, Dave Northrop said Maritimo has been renown for the quality of its engineering and product since the brand’s inception, and it is because of brand’s like Maritimo that Australian-built products are considered among the best in the world within the industry.

He said “owner-friendly systems and engineering” which were simple and reliable for owner operation, family friendly layouts, and the overall functionality of the Maritimo range were significant draw cards for customers in The Americas.

“That combined with quality, seakeeping, economy and range has established the Maritimo brand with heralded status over the North American continent,” he said.

“Maritimo’s latest models within the M-Series Flybridge Motor Yacht and X-Series Sport Coupe lines have captured the attention of the markets within the Americas with tremendous success, and with knowledge of what is on the horizon we are confident our design and new product developments will launch the brand to even further new heights in the near future,” said Corbitt.

Maritimo’s product line consists of 11 models across its M-Series Flybridge Motor Yacht, X-Series Sport Coupe and S-Series Sedan Motor Yacht ranges.

Unique within the global boating industry, Maritimo is proud of its dedicated racing division. Maritimo Racing division is integral within design and engineering processes within the company’s production.

The experience gained through racing is valuable to staff and infuses a competitive mindset throughout all facets of the company.

“Maritimo Racing sets us apart and as one of the only manufacturers to gain the technological benefits derived from racing experience, advancing our vessels to new levels in engineering and performance,” said Maritimo designer and race team representative, Tom Barry-Cotter.

“Like the leading automotive brands involved in sports like Formula One, racing culture flows through Maritimo in everything we do.

“We have a competitive culture fixated on finding the next edge over our competition, staunchly opposed to complacency, with the knowledge that when your product is not evolving, it leaves you exposed to being caught from behind.”

Maritimo Racing has just commissioned a new apprentice program, where Maritimo’s factory apprentices are provided with the opportunity to experience the workings and operation of the Maritimo Racing team at championship races throughout the year.

Maritimo Racing forms one of the important testing and development platforms for every Maritimo cruiser that is produced.

Experience attained through the trialing of latest lamination techniques, bonding methods, and engineering components mean greater reliability and toughness in every Maritimo, as every aspect of each vessel’s construction and setup are race proven before ever reaching a production model, said Barry-Cotter.

“The art of weight reduction whilst maintaining laminate strength is critical in the construction of Maritimo Racing’s hulls, like the latest R30 XCAT, which has heralded both aesthetic and structural benefits to the next generation of Maritimos,” he said.

All Maritimo models are equipped with a Maritimo Racing technology hydraulic power steering system. The system increases the responsiveness at the wheel for an enhanced driving experience.

Maritimo Racing Ross Willaton’s wealth of knowledge with nearly 50 years of racing experience has earned him the role of developing propeller specifications and testing procedures for every new Maritimo model.

Developing the right propeller for a hull is part science and part art, but experience conquers all, he said.

“A perfected propeller setup will generate greater efficiency with reduced cavitation and slip, whilst also generating less vibration with a more comfortable driving experience,” said Ross.

Maritimo Racing has a library of almost 60 propeller sets, all with slight variations in their specification, so there is almost a propeller for any setup combination.

“Maritimo uses a similar strategy in the testing and development of new propellers for new models, where many combinations can be tested in order to extract maximum efficiency.”

maritimo.com.au