The Australian International Marine Export Group (AIMEX) has been facilitating the Australian Marine Industry Export Awards since 2009. Since then the awards have grown each year with new categories added to reflect the achievements of the superyacht industry and members who truly reflect and support the values of AIMEX. These awards ensure that Australian marine industry manufacturers and service providers get the profile they deserve, not only in the domestic market but also in the international arena. The 2014 awards closed on Tuesday 1st April with applications reaching 32. This is the biggest number of applications since the awards were instituted. Despite the GFC Australian companies are showing a resilience that ensures they continue to be key players in the global market.
The judges: Barry Jenkins – SCIBS, Ian Murray – Export Council of Australia, Dugald Anthony – Austrade, Ken Evans – Ken Evans Consulting and Murray Owen – MEC Yachts have reported they were impressed by the calibre of applications.
Judging was conducted in Sanctuary Cove on the 15th of April. A good balance of applications across all 9 categories was submitted making for a very competitive process.
Dugald Anthony, Trade Advisor, Austrade said “I was impressed by the ingenuity displayed by many of the exporters to maintain or even expand their export business in the difficult times being faced by the marine sector. Several of them had adopted creative strategies to identify and pursue new markets or to address gaps in the market with new product, or different market niches to balance the decline in traditional markets.”
Ken Evans, a long standing judge, said “It was gratifying to see that many had actually gone to the trouble of identifying their strengths and weaknesses in their fields and took time to develop marketing strategies that addressed this and in many cases had already received rewards for their efforts”.
MaryAnne Edwards, AIMEX & Superyacht Australia, commented “Despite an extremely difficult economic environment Australia’s marine & superyacht industry remain aggressive, confident and above all committed to continue to build their presence on the national and international stage. The high number and calibre of applications received; especially in the most innovative marine industry exported product category clearly shows this. The judges were truly impressed by the applications for this category. The judges felt all 2014 applicants need special congratulations for their achievements in what has been a difficult market.”
The Awards entrants including companies and individuals 2014 were: AURORA GLOBAL LOGISTICS, AIRBERTH BOAT LIFTS, ALISTAIR MURRAY, ARCTIC STEEL, AUSTRALIAN SUPERYACHTS, AUSTRALIAN SUPERYACHT CREW RECRUITMENT & TRAINING, BRAY MANAGEMENT, BARZ OPTICS, DONNA MORRIS, FINSCAN, GME, GREENCORP MARINE, IMAGINOCEAN, JEREMY SPEAR, JOHN HOGAN, MAGICEZY, MARCEL VAARZON MOREL, MUIR WICHES AUSTRALIA, M-TECH, PALM PRODUCTS, P&W MARINE ENGINEERS, RICHARD CHAPMAN, CAPTAIN RICHARD MORRIS, RIVERGATE MARINA AND SHIPYARD, RONSTAN, SAM SORGIOVANNI, SILVERSTAR MARINE, SPEAR GREEN DESIGN, SILVER YACHTS, STEBER INTERNATIONAL, SUPERIOR, STEPHEN FISHER & VAARZON – MOREL SOLICITORS.
The Export Awards will be announced during the Gala Dinner on the 20th of May. The Awards have been proudly supported by Club Marine and Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show.
