New global boat statistics program on track
UNITED KINGDOM – The launch of a new global statistics program for boat builders is on schedule for reporting of boat sales for the first quarter of 2007, the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) reported in a statement yesterday.
The new program, developed and managed by ICOMIA, will represent the first voluntary based cooperative effort among boat builders to compile sales statistics on an international basis for key powerboat and motoryacht segments, the group stated.
The online database system that will manage the statistics program was successfully demonstrated to participating boat builders at the recent Düsseldorf Boat Show, including Azimut-Benetti, the Brunswick European Group, the Ferretti Group, Mustang Marine, Princess Yachts and Windy Boats. An independent contractor, Applicable Ltd of the UK, is developing the system with support from the International Marine Certification Institute (IMCI). Arlene Sloan Baxter of UK-based Baxter & Associates is managing the program on behalf of ICOMIA.
The ICOMIA project now includes some 85 boat manufacturers and many of the industry’s biggest volume producers from America, Australia, Europe and the UAE, ICOMIA reported. Only manufacturers participating and contributing data to the program will have access to the compiled results.
Over the next two months, participating manufacturers will be testing the system and populating the database with previous model and sales data covering 2004-2006 to gain immediate benefits from trend reports. The system will then go live with the upload of first quarter 2007 sales data this spring.
In its first year, the statistics program will focus on quarterly statistics for series and semi-custom produced rigid hull powerboats and motoryachts, covering unit sales and sales value by month and country of sale. A Steering Group of participating boat manufacturers is responsible for designing the structure of the reporting program and will provide on-going oversight as it evolves. An independent, external audit will be conducted after the first 12 months of statistics have been compiled to verify the accuracy of data against publicly available sources, ICOMIA reported.
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