Auto supplier enters marine industry

BUCYRUS, Ohio – Cadence Innovation LLC, a Tier One supplier of interior and exterior automotive components, systems and modules, has entered the marine industry as a supplier to Baja Marine, the boat builder reported in a statement yesterday.

Cadence will utilize its patented “Sandwiform” technology to supply the unique “Bow Lounger” seat for the Baja 405 Performance, the flagship of Baja Marine’s Performance line.

Sandwiform is a fiber-reinforced, all-thermoplastic honeycomb composite system that is 70 percent lighter than the materials it replaces, according to Baja. The strength-to-weight ratio provides a rigid assembly that Baja said helps to enhance the performance of the boat.

Baja reported that the Sandwiform system reduces expenditure by 50 percent over the life of the product and can be manufactured in a fraction of the time – two minutes versus five hours.

“Our products have been used in automobile, heavy truck, golf cart and agricultural industry assemblies for years,” said Jerry L. Mosingo, president and chief executive officer of Cadence Innovation. “Sandwiform provides innovation and advantages in products being built everyday. Decorative and structurally sound, it offers the aesthetic values of improved fit, form and function. It is also water-resistant and 100 percent recyclable.”

The new “Bow Lounger” seat will replace the traditional structural foam polymer-based panels in the bow of the Baja 405 Performance. The Sandwiform seat, a hybrid honeycomb sandwich composite laminate, can be molded with one or both sides finished with carpet, fabrics or decorative films.

“Incorporating a revolutionary, weight-saving material like Sandwiform into the 405 is yet another way we’re working on creating even faster boats with a sleeker aesthetic,” said Bill Regan, Baja’s vice president of operations.

Future uses of the Sandwiform technology in boats could include cabin roof liners and side panels replacing plywood with Sandwiform for greater strength and durability, according to Baja. Molding the Sandwiform panels in 3-D shapes allows boat manufacturers to reinforce decorative panels used for complex shapes such as the helm doors.

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