The Directors and Shareholders of Nordic Mast and Southern Spars are pleased to announce the merger of Nordic Mast and Southern Spars.
Nordic Mast is a global provider of carbon products and services to the marine market. Southern Spars specialise in the design and construction of carbon fibre spars and components, rigging, and rig servicing and as an industry pioneer it built its first carbon spar back in 1990. Since then the company has delivered many world class cruising and racing spars, superyacht rigging and carbon rigging and service in the USA, Spain, and South Africa, and headquarters in Auckland, New Zealand. Southern Spars employs more than 250 staff worldwide.
The merger will create a combined entity with over 350 staff that will be better equipped to compete on the world stage, supplying a comprehensive range of high quality carbon fibre masts, booms and carbon rigging to meet the demands of all market sectors. Taking effect from 19 July 2010, the merger is a timely combination of two highly regarded mast companies that have operated in different geographic and market sectors.
David Glen, Group General Manager, comments “At Southern Spars we have been looking for some time to both increase our presence and commitment to the European market, and expand our product offering in carbon masts and carbon rigging. Southern Spars is a market leader with innovative mast and carbon rigging concepts for the grand prix race, ocean racing, and performance superyacht markets. We now will have the opportunity to collaborate with the team at Nordic Mast who have considerable experience and presence in the European smaller race boat, performance cruiser, and production cruiser markets.”
Southern Spars has strong design technology and tools developed through its involvement in America’s Cup, Volvo Ocean Race and other international race boat programmes. “Southern’s design software, Rig Calc, has the added advantage of integrating into the North Sails design software to produce an optimum rig /sail package, and this technology will now be available and of benefit to all customers of yachts from the foiling Moth and Olympic classes through to production cruising yachts, race boats, grand prix race boats and superyachts” says Mr Glen.
Nordic Mast also has extensive experience in manufacturing quality carbon masts for comparatively smaller race boats, performance cruisers, and cruising yachts in Europe. The existing Nordic Mast premises and all staff will be retained, and the operation will continue to be managed by Lars Netterstrøm, who will also assume a wider Group role.
Nordic Mast’s Lars Netterstrøm comments “We are proud to have the opportunity to join with Southern Spars and to expand our business, ultimately bringing even better carbon masts and booms to our clients in Europe. The expansion into carbon rigging products will also be new for Nordic. It is very exciting for our team at Nordic Mast to become part of a truly global sparmaking and rigging group, and benefit from all the design and technological resources available within Southern Spars.
Fitzroy Yachts Salperton IV with her Southern Spars
Some of the current yacht projects underway by Southern Spars include:
X50 Cruising Sloop (zefara)
Designer Dubois Naval Yachts
Boat Builder Fitzroy Yachts
LOA 49.7m
Mast LOA 61.66m
Rigging EC6
OMAN SAIL Trimaran
Designer Nigel Irens
Boat Builder Boatspeed
LOA 30.5m
Mast LOA 32.5m
MARIE Performance Ketch
Designer Hoek Design
Boat Builder Vitters Shipyard
LOA 54.8m
PANAMAX Performance Ketch
Designer Gerard Dijkstra & Partners
Boat Builder Baltic Yachts
LOA 58.7m (220′)
Mast LOA 62.99m
Mizzen LOA 57.66m
Booms Box Boom
KOKOMO 3 Performance Sloop
Designer Dubois Naval Architects
Boat Builder Alloy Yachts
LOA 58.4m
Mast LOA 71.54m
IMAGINE II Performance Sloop
Designer Dubois Naval Architects
Boat Builder Alloy Yachts
LOA 44.1m
Mast LOA 61m
Rigging EC6
LUTRA 80 Performance Racer/Cruiser
Boat Builder McConaghy Boats
LOA 80′
Rigging EC6
