Instead of staff layoffs, leading marine electrical systems supplier, Outback Marine, has tackled the economic downturn head on – moving to more economically viable premises so each of its valued employees keeps their job.
In a reverse of what is happening across a variety of business sectors, Director of Outback Marine, Mr Gary Pacey was not only determined to keep his staff, but also hire more.
“We're excited about the move to new premises on the Gold Coast – you can't beat our great team and by streamlining overheads we also get to expand our staff which is the heartbeat of our organisation” he said.
Lina, an Outback Marine employee, said she hopes the example has been set for other businesses who are rising to these challenging times.
“Plenty of my friends are out there without work now and whole families are really paying the price.
“It's inspiring to work for a company which finds another way and moves out of their own comfort zone to keep you” she said.
And as a result of lateral thinking and a readjustment of priorities, a positive turnaround has also been achieved for expansion of further business goals.
In addition to retaining all staff, Pacey has launched shopOMA, an online shopfront providing a huge variety of global marine products and assistance to those who want to renovate boats themselves.
“By reducing overhead costs, we can now pass genuine savings onto our client base by offering one of the most competitive online marine shopping sites on the market.”
“I really believe a lot of positive has come from the downturn in the industry. It's actually been a great opportunity to step back and re evaluate our business and see what our customers really want” he said.
With the downturn in the new boat manufacturing sector, Pacey said Outback Marine has now turned its skill base to the refurbishment market.
“We use the same dash and helm panel manufacturing technology that we supply for new vessel manufacturing and apply it to the refurbishment market to give an older vessel that new look and feel.”
“Increasingly, people want to have their own go at building or renovating their boats and we support that by providing expert back up service and advice whenever they need it” he said.
“And for those who would prefer us to tackle the job for them, we've been able to increase our installation staff head count.”
Established since 1998, Outback Marine has always supported its policy of putting the customer first and meet all inquiries with professional, prompt and friendly service.
