The African Business Journal: Tallie Marine

Tallie Marine
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admin on 17 August, 2010 11:29:00
 
In 1988, nestled in the St Helena Bay fishing spot of South Africa’s 
Western Cape, a man began to make a mould for a 45-foot boat. His  brother, a
shipwright, joined him as they began a small business which  today is hailed as
a market gem and one-stop shop for the shipping  industry. From that original
boat mould, Tallie Marine was born.
TABJ  spoke with Antonie Tallie, Managing Director, about this unique and 
fascinating company that one man, his own father, began some 22 years  ago.
Tallie spoke about what it really takes to be a well-reputed  company famed for
high standards and a hard working mind set, some of  the exciting work Tallie
Marine is involved with today and just what  this determined family bunch plan
to do next.
A superior product offering
Tallie  says that today the company has expanded to offer 17 different sizes of 
vessels and cater to any and every requirement their clients present.  From
moulding and filling boat structures, to wood and steel work, to  fitting
accommodation and everything in between, Tallie Marine does it  all.
“All our boats get laid out by hand. The process to do it is better by
hand so we can control the quality,” he explains.
“It’s  better because you can actually see what is going into the
boat. From  there, we do all the manufacturing in house, from stainless steel,
air  conditioning, electrical, refrigeration, etc. Of all the boats we have 
built, I think there are only three that are not operational anymore.”
One  client requirement which Tallie Marine has really risen to is that of 
geographical needs. Its varied client base works in all sorts of  different
conditions and Tallie says that this includes some seriously  stormy seas.
“We are around the corner from Cape Point, South  Africa, so we have to
customize them for much rougher seas than other  places,” he says.
“Many of our clients have more than one of our  vessels in different
sizes. We have a chat with them and see exactly  what the requirements are and
what the problems with previous vessels  have been so we can improve as
well.”
One big industry which  Tallie Marine caters to today is, of course, fishing.
Tallie says that  the specifics of this industry have directly led the company
to adapt  and modernise its product offering in order to best equip each client.
“We  have changed some of our major designs to incorporate better
efficiency  in killing more fish, especially because a lot of the profit you do 
make off fish gets governed by the amount of diesel you consume,” he 
explains.
“By having your boat more efficient, it can be more  profitable, so we
have changed our design quite a bit to incorporate  that. We’ve been
producing boats for 11 years now and have made about  150 since then.”
In changing to meet the developing needs of its  clients, there is one central
concern which Tallie Marine has always  upheld and, as a result, garnered such a
great reputation for; quality.
Tallie Marine tomorrow
Tallie  says that the peaks and troughs presented by the fishing industry have a
 direct bearing on product demand and, subsequently, the sorts of  services and
suggestions the company offers to its clients.
“Our  industry is completely dependent on the fishing industry, because
over  the last three years the requirement for new vessels has declined a 
bit,” he says.
“We saw a resurgence in the last year because the  fishing has gotten
better and the economic crisis has gotten better so  that obviously influences
the money that fishermen have to spend on new  boats, as opposed to just fixing
what they have.”
Tallie says  that whether Tallie Marine is working on a brand new build or
upgrading  and developing the existing boats of a client, the key to the
company’s  previous successes and those of the next few years is always
the quality  of product and services it provides.
“We try to make our boats more efficient, as that’s the only way we
can survive,” he says.
“I  think the quality of our boats is very good this far. For the next 10 
years, the market that is available is mostly tuna boats, poacher boats,  most
of that sector.”
Recently, the company launched a new  78-foot boat that will hold a capacity of
about 220 cubes and Tallie  says they are “fairly happy with that
design.” This is the Tallie Marine  way; always looking beyond what has
already been achieved and towards  what a client will need next. The company has
come an extremely long way  since that first 45-foot mould and if one thing is
certain, it is that  this family business knows no bounds. No job is too taxing
and no  requirements are too challenging. It is companies like Tallie Marine 
that really show what it takes to get the job done, whatever the job may  be.
www.talliemarine.com