JEFA STEERING’S INNOVATION NAMED OVERALL WINNER AT DAME AWARDS

The official winners of the prestigious 2014 DAME awards

Recently, we presented our favorites for the annual DAME Awards that take place during the METS trade show in Amsterdam. Yesterday, the winners were announced. Out of 116 entrants, 45 were chosen for the final judging round where six products were declared winner of their category, one of which also selected as the overall winner.

For this year’s awards, the jury selected Danish company Jefa Steering to receive the prestigious title of overall DAME winner for their innovative Jefa Steering Traveller. An alternative solution to chain/wire steering, the compact, space-saving traveller system eliminates the need for a voluminous wire quadrant and gets rid of any backlash between the rudder and the steering wheel. The jury particularly appreciated Jefa’s capacity to provide an elegant, tangible solution for something that was long an industry standard. The product also won the Deck Equipment, Sails and Rigging category.

Glomex won the Marine Electronics and Marine Related Software category with their WeBBoat 4G, an integrated 3G/4G/W-Fi coastal internet antenna system, and Exposure Marine’s MOB Search Light won the Life Saving and Safety Equipment category.

Kenyon picked up the Interior Equipment, Furnishing, Materials and Electrical Fittings Used in Cabins category with their SilKEN2 induction cooktop, while Marinco’s Pro Installer EZ-Mount Battery Switches won the Machinery, Propulsion, Mechanical and Electrical Systems & Fittings category.

Finally, Seabung took the Marina Equipment, Boatyard Equipment and Boat Construction Tools and Materials category with their device that allows regular inspection and boat maintenance while the vessel is in the water.

The overall breadth of innovation was particularly impressive in the face of limited budgets and low demand. “Developing new, well designed and innovative products is very difficult for relatively low manufacturing volumes,” commented Bill Dixon, Chairman of the Jury. “Nevertheless many of the companies that we recognised in this year’s nominations have looked at a problem, found a new and interesting way to solve it and come up with a confident solution. Others have discovered ways of making the boat builder’s life easier though better integration and ease of installation.”