Revolution in Innovation: Suzuki’s Marine Business Introduced

The Marine division of Magyar Suzuki Corporation held a press conference to present the brand’s latest technology innovations, its global history and business results, as well as its future goals in the marine products business. The event was attended by Merkantil Bank Ltd., financial partner of the company in Hungary, and Flaar Engineering Consultants, a Hungarian boat-building company known for its unique innovations that signed a partnership agreement with Suzuki Marine 2 years ago.

Innovation and success on water

In Hungary Suzuki is known mostly for vehicles produced in Esztergom but due to its innovative and reliable products and solutions, the company has outstanding results not only in the car and motorbike markets but also in the manufacturing and sale of outboard motors. Suzuki Marine is a leading manufacturer of outboard motors. The technology and performance of its four-stroke outboards has earned global industry recognition. Suzuki plants in Japan and Thailand had produced total of 3 million outboards combined until 2014.

Suzuki’s four-stroke outboards have won eight innovation awards to date which is unprecedented in the industry. Most recently, its 350HP four-stroke V6 DF350A exhibited at the press conference has received an innovation award at the International Boat Builder’s Exhibition & Conference (IBEX). The jury praised the DF350A outboard for its advanced technologies, high running performance and directional stability thanks to Suzuki’s Dual Prop System.

The manufacturing of Suzuki outboard motors has gone a long way over the past 50 years. Its innovative solutions have made the brand a market leader. Suzuki Marine engineers are passionate boaters themselves using their expertise to develop the best outboards based on advanced fuel-efficient technology. One of the most recent products of Suzuki Motor Corporation is Suzuki Diagnostic System Mobile (SDSM). SDSM is a free smartphone app providing users with cost-effective, fast and easy access to outboard engine information if they face a problem. As a result, service staff will arrive prepared with the right tools and spare parts to perform their required repair or maintenance.

Suzuki Marine is a regional player and the market leader in outboard motor sales in Hungary

Magyar Suzuki Corporation started selling outboard motors in Hungary in 1999. Now it leads the Hungarian market with 48% of total outboard sales (based on market data from Data House Kft.). The Hungarian portfolio includes 77 products from 2.5HP small engines to 350HP outboards. Suzuki has Merkantil Bank Ltd. as its partner offering a financing scheme to support the sale of outboard motors above 10HP.

“Our outboards offer customers consistent quality in every category. All models require little maintenance, and they boast a low TCO, innovative technology, long lifetime, outstanding reliability and exceptional performance”, said Péter Tóth, Sales Director of Magyar Suzuki Corporation Ltd.

Due to its outstanding performance, the outboard motor business of Magyar Suzuki was made a regional hub this autumn on overseeing business and sales activities across Central and Eastern Europe including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belorussia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Bulgaria and Albania.

“We have achieved impressive results in Hungarian tenders. We will deliver a new outboard fleet to the Lake Balaton Water Police HQ and we are also proud of our collaboration with the National Civil Guard and Balaton ferry and boat company BAHART”, added Péter Tóth.

In addition to enhancing customer satisfaction, Suzuki Marine has also earned professional industry recognition. In the innovation competition of the Budapest Boat Show 2016, it ranked second in the category of boating equipment, sails, engines and accessories.

In order to promote further development, Magyar Suzuki Corporation has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Flaar Engineering Consultants, a Hungarian boat-building company known for its unique innovations and unprecedented number of awards at the innovation competition of Budapest Boat Show events. Under this partnership, Flaar provides engineering support to Suzuki and participates in tenders and exhibitions as its partner.

The evolution of innovation from looms to outboards

Michio Suzuki developed his first innovation, a pedal powered loom in 1909. He established Suzuki Loom Manufacturing in 1920. With years of hard work, perseverance and pioneering approach, he guided Suzuki from loom manufacturing to the vehicle industry. Together with many other successful and world-famous companies, Suzuki was established in the Enshu region of Japan famous for “Yaramaika”, which means “pioneering spirit”. Its sends the message: Let’s do it! Let’s give it a try. Today, this motto is followed by 62,652 employees of Suzuki Motor Corporation generating annual net sales of EUR 25bn worldwide.

“Whether it’s a loom, a car, a motorbike or an outboard motor, Suzuki has had the same mission from the outset. We are still committed to providing our customers with innovative and easy-to-use reliable technologies”, said Yoshinobu Abe, Managing Director, Magyar Suzuki Corporation. “We still have our founder’s message as our major guiding principle. He said that we should do our best to give our customers everything they want. Hard work guarantees success”, he added.