Normally a wonderful source of innovative new products, the selection of winning entries at this years 19th annual Design Award METS competition seemed somewhat uninspiring. But a lot of this was perhaps due to the poor layout of the DAME showcase area which totally lacked any signage to inspire and impress with the selection.
DAME attracted a total of 125 products from 108 companies each paying €150 for each product entered. 53 products were short listed for final consideration in 2009 and these were the ‘Nominated’ products that were on show. From these the Jury, lead by to yachting designer Bill Dixon, selected:
- The Overall DAME Winner
- 7 outright Category Winners
- 2 special certificated for ‘Most ECO Friendly’
- 1 ‘Most Innovative’ product
- 14 Special Mentions.
The overall winner was FLIR Systems, and its new M-626L Series Thermal Night Vision System. We were told judges were impressed by the unit’s sleek design, Ethernet capability, and ease of installation, stating that the unit provides user satisfaction beyond anything currently on the market. Even in total darkness the Captain of a superyacht can see channel markers, other boats, people in the water and the shore line from greater distances and clarity than earlier models.
The M-626L system incorporates a micro-lux, low-light camera for improved visibility during twilight hours and a 26-degree field of view – an improvement of 25% over previous cameras. The unit is operated with a remote joystick, which can be located anywhere on the vessel.
British company Henri Lloyd was honoured for its commitment to environmentally friendly products. The jury also awarded special mentions to Kelvin Hughes, Musto and McMurdo.
Henri Lloyd won the special certificate for ‘Most ECO-Friendly’ products, along with winning the Clothing and Crew accessories category. The prize was awarded for its Blue Eco Jacket which, along with the Hi Fit trousers, is recycled and recyclable and is a showcase product in the company’s mission to become a greener manufacturing company. The launch of this Blue Eco Range saw the Manchester based company become the first international marine clothing company to engage in an infinite recycling programme.
Paul Strzelecki, Joint Chief Executive, said “We are especially pleased to win the Eco Award as we believe the Blue Eco Jacket is the positive first step on a long journey to become a more environmentally friendly company.”
In the marine related software category, Kelvin Hughes received a special mention for its Wiley Nautical Almanac 2009.
McMurdo was recognised in the life saving and safety equipment category for its Fast Find 2010. And in the clothing and crew accessories category Musto Active Base Layer whose garments have been engineered with seamless panelling and three different fabric knots for ventilation, protection and organ support was also honoured.