Lauderdale Marine Center certification | Marine Industry Standards in 2019

A great day at sea starts with a well-found, well-maintained yacht

Michael Robilio, Chief Designer at Concord Marine Electronics, shared this LinkedIn post announcing Concord’s status as an Authorized Lauderdale Marine Center Contractor, adding Concord to a select list of on and off-premises marine industry specialists.  Lauderdale Marine Center, the largest yacht repair facility in the United States, qualifies both on and off-site resources through a demanding process requiring references, a demonstrated commitment to ethical, environmental, and professional best practices, and industry-specific training and history before awarding Certified Contractor Program status.

Lauderdale Marine Center, the largest yacht repair facility in the United States.

So only a select group of marine industry service providers achieve this status at LMC, and currently Concord Marine Electronics stands out as the only pure Electronics, AV, and Navigation company in the directory. Both LMC and Concord, through steps like this, demonstrate a commitment to elevating yacht repair to a true profession, a calling defined by standards, training, verifiable skills and experience, and a certifying body. Rigorous vetting only increases industry customer confidence that those who serve have in turn been screened, trained, and passed a structured and formal qualification process.

The marine industry, especially in Fort Lauderdale, has come a long way from the days when anyone with a 5-gallon bucket and a couple of screwdrivers could bill themselves as a marine mechanic or repair specialist. The yachting industry had to evolve as yachts grew and added increasingly complex systems, and insurance companies demanded that yachts be built, and be maintained, with documentation and diligence. The Marine Industries Association of South Florida, and others, have all contributed substantially to developing a service and repair infrastructure which inspires trust and confidence in the yachting community. One of the premier publications promoting standards and disseminating information, “Professional Boatbuilder”, while celebrating 30 years of publication this year, emerged as a voice in the wilderness in 1989 into a true “wild west” of swaggering tool-belt wearing imposters. Today, marine industry members meeting and maintaining professional standards contributes to a safe, secure, and environmentally sound yacht.

Concord Marine Electronics achieves and maintains professional status with accomplishments like earning Master Dealer status in the National Marine Electronics Association,  employing certified AutoCAD™ drafters and system designers, reaching Factory Certified Technical Dealer status from Creston™ and Kaleidescape™, and demonstrating ongoing expertise in navigation, communication, and security systems from FLIR ™, Raymarine, Furuno™, Simrad™, Boning™, and Garmin™. Marine equipment manufacturers demand and support marine service industry initiatives ensuring that members maintain certification levels- and this ties in with LMC’s program. We all recognize that raising individual skills and seeking accreditation raises us as an industry, and leads to confidence in the owners, captains, and project managers who decide where construction, repair, and refit resources go.

 LMC establishes trust with customers and prospects with the Authorized Contractor program. Concord builds on that trust while enhancing our reputation for professional competence by actively seeking out this and similar certification opportunities. We recognize and applaud the move towards tighter standards in the marine industry- you should be required to establish bona-fides beyond a splashy website or slipping flyers under windshield wipers in marina parking lots before stepping into a repair facility like LMC, or bringing a tool near one of today’s complex, expensive, and critical yacht systems.

Yes, meeting standards means work for us. Not everyone in Fort Lauderdale is happy about or willing to go through LMC’s qualifying process. But Concord steps up to this challenge with a clear view of the future guiding us- a marine industry governed by practices yacht owners trust and facilities willing to enforce standards of performance on everyone touching any part of the repair process. So, we’re proud to earn this status at LMC, and consider the effort well spent for ourselves, for our customers, and for yachting.

Please contact us for more information about our products and services through our website, by phone at +1 954-779-1100, our Contact page, or email us at info@concordelectronics.com. We are happy to provide references, and documentation demonstrating our accomplishment of professional standards for any of our products and services.