The National Marine Manufacturers Association and Boating Writers International today honored the winners of the 2017 Progressive Insurance Miami International Boat Show Innovation Awards, which were presented during the Innovation Breakfast held at Miami Marine Stadium Park & Basin.
This year’s program evaluated 63 products across 23 categories The judges selected 19 winners and two honorable mentions in 16 categories, for a total of 21 honorees.
The winners are:
Boat Care and Maintenance: Snap Tool Multi-Key, Davis Instruments
Center Console/ Walkaround Fishing Boats: 230 Outrage, Boston Whaler
Consumer Safety Equipment (Dual Winners): 100 N Junior Harness Lifejacket, Spinlock USA; SeaAngel SA15 ASI Flare SART/MOB, FT-Tec USA
Cuddy Cabin and Bowrider Boats: SLX 400, Sea Ray Boats
Deck Equipment and Hardware: Scout Articulating Rocket Launcher, Scout Boats (Honorable Mention: CLite2 LED Searchlight with FLIR Camera, IMTRA Corporation)
Docking and Fendering Equipment: EZ Kayak Launch, EZ Dock
Electric Motor/ Battery Powered Propulsion: Cruise Fixed Pod System, Torqeedo
Fishing Equipment, Gear & Tackle: Sea Lime Fishing Lures, Sea Lime
Furnishings & Interior Parts: Anti-Spill Wine Glasses, Royal Stabilis
Inboard Engines: GDI Engine Series, Ilmor Marine
Personal Gear, Soft Goods: Deck-Boss Boot, Grundens USA
Personal Watercraft: Sea-Doo SPARK TRIXX, BRP U.S.
Propulsion Equipment & Parts: Volvo Penta Inboard Joystick, Volvo Penta
Tow Boats: Dock Star, MasterCraft Boat Company (Honorable Mention: Super Air Nautique GS-Series, Nautique Boat Company)
Watersport Equipment (Dual Winners): StereoActive, Fusion Electronics; Mirage Eclipse, Hobie Cat Company
Consumer Electronics, Mobile Applications and Software (Dual Winners): GX6500 Fixed Mount VHF, Standard Horizon; Axiom MFDs, Raymarine
The NMMA also honored Frank Marciano, president of Dometic Americas, with the 2017 Alan J. Freedman Memorial Leadership Award at the breakfast.
The award recognizes individuals who’ve made outstanding contributions to the marine accessories industry through leadership, creativity and personal motivation.
“NMMA congratulates Frank Marciano on his exemplary work in the recreational boating industry and is proud to bestow upon him the Alan J. Freedman Award,” NMMA president Thom Dammrich said in a statement. “Frank’s attention to detail and commitment to marine product excellence and customer service have helped paved the way for marine manufacturing’s growth and innovation.”
Marciano started with Marine Air Systems in 1991 as the production manager. Under his leadership, the factory was divided into eight self-directed teams, which in turn worked directly with the sales team to satisfy customers. Marciano’s main priority has always been bringing value to customers and exceeding their expectations.
To do this while growing the company, processes were developed that supported customer behavior. Along these lines, the “virtual product” concept was developed so the organization could respond to unique customer requests as part of the normal course of business. This is still a hallmark of Dometic Marine today.
Marciano continued to recruit and retain the best people, build strong teams and invest in engineering, and in 2006, put a plan in place to redesign every product family over the next eight years, incorporating what he termed the “Marine Optimized Design.”
This concept ensured that all products utilized the latest composite materials to reduce noise, vibration, and eliminate rust while improving performance and efficiency in all harsh marine conditions.
Dometic Marine’s strong focus on innovation, problem solving and engineering investment has resulted in an unprecedented amount of industry innovation awards.
“I am so honored to receive this prestigious award from the NMMA,” Marciano said in a statement. “I love boating and have enjoyed the privilege of adding value to the industry for almost 26 years.”
Separately, the NMMA announced 52 recipients of the 2016 Marine Industry Customer Satisfaction Index Awards for excellence in customer satisfaction.
The Marine Industry CSI Awards honor boat and engine manufacturers that actively measure customer satisfaction and pursue continuous improvement to better serve their customers.
Award recipients achieved an independently measured standard of excellence of 90 percent or higher in customer satisfaction over the past program year, based on information provided by customers purchasing a new boat or engine between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2016.
“Fostering a culture of excellence in customer satisfaction not only builds exceptional brand loyalty, but creates an outstanding boating experience, ensuring that today’s boater remains the boater of tomorrow, and promotes industry growth by developing boaters into lifestyle advocates,” Robert Newsome, vice president of engineering standards and membership for NMMA, said in a statement.
