The METS equipment trade fair with 1400 exhibitors from 50 countries opened yesterday and will continue until tomorrow. After the Corona edition a year ago, there was again a strong influx of boat builders, wholesalers, boat builders, harbour developers and other marine professionals from all over the world. "Our entire team has worked tirelessly to ensure that the trade fair is even better than before," says trade fair director Niels Klarenbeek.
From entire hull sections from the 3D printer and electric inboards to innovative brushes, there is once again everything to see. In addition to the exhibition, which is spread across ten halls, there will also be a series of lectures on topics such as technology, sustainability and superyachts.
DAME Design Award 2022: Innovation for more safety honoured
The focus was already on theDAME Design Award 2022. It aims to promote and honour design in the maritime industry. The jury considers factors ranging from function to aesthetics and from packaging to the final product. As well as the expected impact on the shipping industry, suitability for the intended purpose, degree of innovation, cost, ease of use or installation and environmental impact. The award offers allMETS-exhibitors from all over the world the opportunity to submit their latest products and have them assessed by experts.
Yesterday, the world-renowned prize was awarded toOcean Signal with theirPLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon was awarded. The overall winner impressed with the combination of an AIS man overboard device, GPS with a Cospas-Sarsat personal locator beacon, a Galileo return link service and the integration of visible and infrared signalling lights. The device offers the best chance of survival in a distress situation by combining long- and short-range localisation technologies. Andre Hoek, chairman of the jury, emphasised: "It is an excellent example of how you can never stop striving for new improvements, even in a market segment where products are already impressively advanced in terms of size and price."
Six other products won in their category, and 13 others also received a special mention. The jury also awarded its first environmental design prize this year. This went toAceleron from England. The award-winning product is a cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate battery with replaceable and upgradeable parts. This means that a defective cell no longer requires the entire battery to be replaced. Returned parts are redistributed or reconditioned to give them a second life.
