Maritimo 48

GARTH CORBITT (CEO) – PRESS SPEECH THURSDAY 24TH MAY 2012

GOOD MORNING & WELCOME EVERYONE   LET ME START BY SAYING THAT THE MARITIMO TEAM IS ‘REVVED UP” ABOUT THIS YEARS BOAT SHOW AND WE HAVE GOOD REASON TO BE.  THERE HAVE BEEN SOME EXCITING AND SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE MARITIMO ORGANISATION OF WHICH I WILL ELABORATE ON SHORTLY.   IT’S NO SECRET THAT MARITIMO ALREADY BOASTS AN ENVIABLE REPUTATION IN THE LUXURY BOAT MARKET, HOWEVER, FAR FROM BEING COMPLACENT, WE ARE DETERMINED TO BUILD UPON OUR SUCCESSFUL HERITAGE AND FIRMLY ENHANCE OUR POSITION AS THE PREMIER AUSTRALIAN BOAT BUILDER.   AS A COMPANY, MARITIMO HAS EMBARKED ON A SIGNIFICANT JOURNEY OF REFLECTION AND RIGOROUS SELF-ASSESSMENT OVER THE PAST 9 MONTHS, HOWEVER, IT IS ONLY THE BEGINNING, AS WE CONTINUE TO RE-ESTABLISH & REDFINE OUR ORGANISATIONAL GOALS AND “RAISE THE BAR” FOR OURSELVES TO MEET AND EXCEED OUR CUSTOMERS EXPECTATIONS.   WHEN WE SET ABOUT DEVELOPING A VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF MARITIMO, THE MORE WE THOUGHT ABOUT IT AND DISCUSSED IT; THE CLEARER THE ANSWER BECAME; IT WAS SIMPLE – GROWTH IS WHAT WE DESIRED FOR OUR BUSINESS MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE.   MORE SPECIFICALLY, TO INTITIATE AND FACILITIATE THIS GROWTH, WE NEEDED TO TAKE SOME ACTION:   WE HAVE SET ABOUT INCREASING OUR INVESTMENT IN OUR PEOPLE, OUR SELLING EFFORTS, OUR BRAND DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING, OUR PRODUCTS, AFTER SALES SERVICE AND OF COURSE, MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR CUSTOMERS.   INVESTING IN PEOPLE – THROUGH CRITICAL AND FOCUSED TRAINING PROGRAMS, RECRUITMENT OF KEY PERSONNEL AND RESTRUCTURE OF THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE BUSINESS.   I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND ON THE STAFFING CHANGES WITHIN THE ORGANISATION:   IT IS WITH GREAT PLEASURE THAT I WELCOME GREG HAINES TO MARITIMO. GREG HAS ACCEPTED THE ROLE OF SENIOR MANAGER SALES AND MARKETING AND HAS “HIT THE GROUND RUNNING” AND SURPRISED US ALL WITH HIS AMAZING DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE FOR THE MARITIMO PRODUCTS. GREG IS A GREAT ADVOCATE AND ADVERTISEMENT FOR MARITIMO AS HE OWNS AN M48. GREG PROVIDES AN INVALUABLE VIEW FROM BOTH A MANUFACTURER AND CUSTOMERS PERSPECTIVE. AS MOST WOULD ALREADY KNOW, GREG HAS A RICH HISTORY IN BOATING AND ONE WOULD SAY IT’S IN HIS DNA NOT UNLIKE OUR FOUNDER BILL BARRY-COTTER DUE TO HIS LIFELONG INVOLVEMENT WITH THE HAINES BOATING GROUP.   I WOULD LIKE TO SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO PETER JENKINS, FORMERLY SALES MANAGER FOR MARITIMO AND LONG TIME FRIEND AND SPARRING PARTNER OF BILL BARRY-COTTER’S. BILL AND PJ, AS HE WAS KNOWN AROUND THE TRAPS FORMED A FORMIDABLE COMBINATION IN THEIR YEARS TOGETHER AND AS BILL DISCOVERED YET ANOTHER PRODUCT NICHE SO PJ FOUND A WAY TO SELL INTO IT. SO THANKS AGAIN PJ FOR YOUR LOYALTY AND SUPPORT OVER THE YEARS.   INVESTING IN OUR SELLING EFFORTS – WE WANT TO IMPROVE THE SELLING EXPERIENCE FOR OUR CUSTOMERS – HOW DO WE DO THAT? WE WILL INCREASE OUR TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR OUR SALES TEAMS; WE WILL ENGAGE OUR CUSTOMERS MORE OFTEN WITH MARITIMO MUSTERS, PROMOTIONAL PROGRAMS FOR NEW PRODUCTS AND INCLUDE OUR SUPPLIERS.   INVESTING IN BRAND DEVELOPMENT AND MARKETING – WE BELIEVE STRONGLY AND PASSIONATELY IN OUR BRAND & OUR TAG LINE “MARITIMO…. OCEANS APART”, SO WE HAVE MAINTAINED OUR COMMITMENT & BELIEF IN OUR BRAND AND REFRESHED OUR BRAND IMAGE BUT HAVE REMAINED LOYAL TO OUR MOTTO! A PROGRAM OF ADVERTISING IS PLANNED AND WILL COMMENCE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.

INVESTING IN OUR PRODUCTS – MOST EXCITING OF ALL IS OUR FANATICAL FOCUS TO THE DEVELOPMENT, DESIGN AND INNOVATION OF NEW PRODUCTS. ADD TO THAT OUR RACE-BRED TECHNOLOGY, BUILD QUALITY WITH INDEPENDENT MARINE SURVEYORS, THE ONLY ISO 9001 ACCREDITED BOAT BUILDER IN AUSTRALIA, UNPARRALLED ENGINEERING, “2ND TO NONE” FUEL EFFICIENCY, MOTOR YACHTS WITH FULL WIDTH WALK AROUND DECKS, OUR MARITIMO FLYBRIDGE BOATS WITH INTERNAL STAIRCASES & OF COURSE, I COULD GO ON.  HOWEVER, WE ARE CONSTANTLY STRIVING TO IMPROVE, SO WE ENGAGED EXTENSIVE CUSTOMER SURVEYS TO LEARN ABOUT WHAT OUR BUYERS THOUGHT OF US AND OUR PRODUCTS. WE ALSO SECURED THE SERVICES OF AN INDUSTRIAL DESIGNER TO ASSIST WITH THE PRODUCT REDEVELOMENT PROCESS. WE INCREASED THE INPUT FROM OUR SALES TEAMS AND THE RESULT OF ALL THAT HARD WORK IS THE NEW PRODUCTS MARITIMO IS ROLLING OUT TODAY. THEREFORE, I’M PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT WE ARE LAUNCHING THE MARITIMO 58 AND MUSTANG 43 AT THIS BOAT SHOW AND HAVE A NUMBER OF NEW PRODUCTS ON THE DRAWING BOARD FOR LAUNCH AT THE SYDNEY BOAT SHOW AND SOON AFTER. I WILL LET BILL TALK TO YOU IN MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE NEW PRODUCTS.   INVESTING IN OUR CUSTOMERS – CUSTOMERS ARE THE “LIFE BLOOD” OF ANY BUSINESS AND WE MAKE IT OUR BUSINESS TO KNOW WHAT THEY THINK OF US AND OUR PRODUCTS. AS I MENTIONED, MARITIMO CONDUCTED CUSTOMER SURVEYS AND GATHERED AN ABUNDANCE OF VALUABLE FEEDBACK ACROSS A BROAD RANGE OF TOPICS. THE RESULTS HAVE ENABLED US TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE NEED TO IMPROVE AND WE IMMEDIATELY SET ABOUT MAKING THE NECESSARY CHANGES AS EVIDENCED IN OUR NEW PRIODUCTS.   INVESTING IN AFTER SALES AND SERVICE – WE HAVE ENHANCED OUR PHILOSOPHY ABOUT NEVER LOSING “YOUR CONNECTIVITY” WITH THE CUSTOMER. IT’S A FRESH CORE INTITIATIVE TO VIEW OUR AFTER SALES SERVICE AS AN EXTENSION OF THE CUSTOMERS PURCHASE OF A MARITIMO AND HENCE WE SEE IT AS CRITICAL TO THIS ALL ENCOMPASSING RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OF OUR CUSTOMERS. TO MORE EFFECTIVELY MEET THESE NEEDS WE HAVE APPOINTED A HIGHLY EXPERIENCED & “TERM OF LIFE” BOAT BUILDER, PLUS “ALL ROUND GOOD GUY”  CRAIG JONES TO THE CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT ROLE. CRIAG VACATES THE WARRANTY AND SERVICE MANAGER ROLE AND PETER MCGRATH; THE HEAD OF OUR RACING OPERATION WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR AN EXPANDED BRIEF AND HAS BEEN APPOINTED TO THE ROLE OF WARRANTY AND SERVICE MANAGER IN ADDITION TO THE RACING PORTFOLIO.   WE NEVER FORGET THAT ABOVE ALL ELSE OUR BUSINESS IS UNDERPINNED BY BILL BARRY-COTTER HIMSELF, WHO’S UNWAVERING VISION, ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS, “2ND TO NONE” PRODUCT DESIGN AND INNOVATION AND HIS UNBRIDLED ENTHUSIASM FOR THE BRAND, THE PRODUCT, HIS CUSTOMERS AND STAFF MAKES IT AN EXCITING JOURNEY FOR US ALL.   FINALLY, WE ARE PROUD TO BE AUSTRALIAN OWNED AND BUILT   WE ARE EVEN PROUDER TO BE A PART OF THE MARITIMO FAMILY   AND AS SUCH MARITIMO WILL CONTINUE TO STRIVE TO BE “OCEANS APART” FROM ITS’ COMPETITIORS IN EVERY WAY.