Hopes and Fears of the Marine Industry

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), there are key issues on the minds of marine manufactures in 2010

According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA), there are key issues on the minds of marine manufactures in 2010; namely, economic stability and regulatory issues.

“We were obviously hard hit last year,” explains John McKnight, director of environmental and safety compliance and director of government relations for NMMA. “Last year, a large percentage of companies completely shut down because there were no orders at all. For our industry, it wasn’t a recession – it was a depression.” In some sectors, the marine industry was down as much as 80 percent; many people were let go and, according to NMMA statistics, that’s not including the supporting industries. “As we look at this year, companies are now running but at reduced capacity. However, they’re seeing a silver lining. It may be a bit too early to tell, but we see improvement from last year,” says McKnight. “Things seem to be getting better, but the question on everyone’s mind is: is it just a blip?”

Regulatory issues are also of grave concern to the industry, mainly because they can drastically impact the industry. “There would be no modern boat industry without composites and therefore styrene,” says McKnight. “You can build a boat out of aluminum, but it doesn’t have the same type of quality finish that these composites allow. Composites give a different look and finish that consumer are looking for. For example, I know a few companies that exist because styrene allows them to do high volume, high production composite manufacturing. If composites disappeared due to styrene or other regulatory issues, we’d go back to wood or aluminum and I’m not sure how that would turn out. On that issue, NMMA and the American Composites Manufacturers Association share the same concern and we continue to watch very closely the advocacy efforts related to the EPA’s suggestion to label styrene as a reasonably anticipated carcinogen.”

Yet despite these looming clouds, marine manufacturers are moving ahead in their developments and use of composites. “We compete for discretionary income as people try to make choices between better TV sets, an indoor game, an RV, a snowmobile etc. There are so many things they want, but they’re not necessities,” says McKnight. “Companies try to make it more affordable and accessible by reducing cost—therefore always seeking ways to reduce waste and improve output. As a result, we see the majority of the industry continuing to use fiberglass—even over carbon composites—because it offers high quality at lower cost to families and fishermen. Customers feel, except in cases like the aluminum pontoon boat, it’s the most economical solution.”

Tags: composites, manufacturing, national Marine Manufacturers Association, news