IBMA sets goals for 2007
MIAMI – The Inflatable Boat Manufacturers Association held a member meeting Oct. 31 in conjunction with the start of the International Boatbuilders’ Exhibition and Conference, it reported in a recent statement.
IBMA Chairman Georges Dherlin opened the meeting and each of the association’s task forces gave reports on the progress that has been made within their areas.
IBMA is in the process of setting up a solid statistical program for North America. Some companies are already contributing data, but the group said it needs more buy-in. IBMA members have pledged their support for the initiative to collect better statistics and promised to participate moving forward.
A CSI program for inflatables was another of the subjects the meeting touched on. Developing a CSI program for inflatables requires different considerations than for the traditional powerboat market, and various options for establishing such a program were reviewed. The task force is working to identify a program that best suits the industry’s needs. It’s expected the task force will have a proposal ready shortly, which it will run by the entire group for consideration.
As a group, IBMA members are anxious to do their part to further the efforts of Grow Boating. Inflatables are anticipated to become a part of the ongoing campaign. The task force is actively working with the Grow Boating Board to ensure the inflatable industry is contributing to the fund.
An additional task force has taken on the task of developing a set of standardized warning labels for inflatables the entire industry can adopt. This has been done successfully for the personal watercraft industry, and the houseboat industry is also currently working on standardized labels. A proposal is now in the works and will be sent to the entire group upon completion for comments.
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