Vermont based Whale Water Systems has completed an agreement to take over production, distribution and servicing of the complete Seaward Products line including the Princess brand. The deal was completed just before the opening of IBEX marine trade show in Louisville and the new brand – Seaward by Whale – will officially launch at the show.
Whale already provides a wide range of fresh water, bilge and gray waste management systems and now have more to offer with the addition of the Seaward range of water heaters, ovens, cooktops BBQs, electrical panels, tanks and accessories.
Keith Nixon, VP Sales and Marketing, Whale commented: “Our acquisition of Seaward gives Whale a very healthy comprehensive product portfolio. Seaward products has built a very strong reputation for quality, and like Whale they know how to manufacture products designed to withstand the marine market. For boat builders, we now offer a broad range of high quality Whale and Seaward marine-grade product combined with slick Whale logistics – reliable product, delivered on time!”
Through discussions since May 2012, Tom Schultz allowed Whale to place a bid to continue manufacturing the brand.
Whale CEO Patrick Hurst MBE praised Tom for his dedicated stewardship of the Seaward Company in recent years: “Tom is a person who is well admired within the international leisure marine industry. We are delighted Tom has given Whale the opportunity to take over Seaward. We have ambitious plans for growth of Seaward, with our initial priorities being investment in new products, the team and the manufacturing facilities within the USA. The combined product offering of Seaward and Whale enables us to develop a fully integrated offering for both the marine and RV markets.”
Whale plan to continue manufacturing all products in CA, retaining the years of experience of employees within the company and will look to expand the products offered over the next few years. Whale has a reputation for innovation in the water systems market with heavy investment in research and development, with the acquisition of Seaward this allows the company to think across an entirely new line of products.
Whale will continue to run the Seaward by Whale facility from Whittier, CA while maintaining its US Headquarters in Manchester VT. This allows for a greater scope of quick and efficient distribution channels across the USA and a dedicated base and customer service team to the Seaward Products.