Furuno ups investment in ENL Group — Exporter Magazine

FURUNO Electric Co. Ltd of Japan has increased its investment into New Zealand company ENL Group to a total of 29.5%, an increase from the initial 10% announced in July 2014.

ENL, founded in 1945, has an unbroken 70-year history in the marine electronics industry and has represented FURUNO in the New Zealand market for over 50 years. 

ENL manufactures WASSP, their award winning multibeam sonar system, which produces 3D topographic imagery of the seafloor and associated fish detection and is regarded as a technology showcase for New Zealand’s high-end software expertise. 

Since its commercial introduction in 2006, WASSP has established itself as a major leader in this specialised and technically demanding market with significant numbers of systems sold into sectors such as commercial fishing, defence, survey & mapping and super-yacht applications. 

The collaborative partnership will see ENL continue to work closely with the FURUNO Product Planning Division on specialist projects offering the voice of the customer user requirements for the low-end leisure and commercial fishing sectors. 

ENL Group Managing Director Gareth Hodson says the increased investment is a significant step for the company. 

“FURUNO’s financial investment in ENL will strengthen our position in the New Zealand and South Pacific sector with the FURUNO brand, together with numerous opportunities to expand our R&D and global export business from New Zealand.” 

After establishing a key role of WASSP Sales Manager in Europe to support their existing strong EU customer base this year, ENL will continue to focus on international market growth in all sectors through various channels to market. 

“A key focus for WASSP over the next 12 months is to increase our presence in South America, Indonesia, and Asia regions,” says Hodson.

Photo: Gareth Hodson.