Manufacturer Profile BYBRUCEANGUS
Geonav navigation products and istribution have been estab- lished in Europe for 25 years. It was decided to rebrand and repo- sition Geonav with a totally new marine electronics product line in order to serve the global blue-water recreational market. Repositioning
Geonav complements Johnson Outdoors’ successful Humminbird brand, which has
become a leader in the inland and near-shore
marine electronics markets.
The rebranding initiative resulted in a
new distinctive logo to accompany a modern
industrial design and marketing effort to
position Geonav as a high-value brand.
Geonav will compete head-to-head in the
global market with established competitors
such as Raymarine, Furuno, Garmin and
Simrad.
In 2007, Johnson Outdoors acquired the
Italian navigation plotter manufacturer
Geonav from Navionics. They followed that
in 2008 with the acquisition of the highly
regarded autopilot manufacturer Navicontrol, which has since been absorbed into
Geonav.
Geonav is part of Johnson Outdoors
Marine Electronics, Inc. Led by Kelly Grindle,
senior group vice president, revenues have
more than doubled since 2006. The senior
management team is located in the Johnson
Outdoors headquarters in Racine, WI.
Geonav decided to expand globally when it
saw an opportunity created by an environment
of market disruption. In 2008 the collapse of
financial markets, the credit shortage, low consumer confidence, collapsing boat sales and
many changes in distribution channels were
occurring. We felt these events would create
unique opportunities when the market recovered which could be filled with an exciting
new product line that would appeal to boaters,
be stylish in design and include features which
differentiate us from other manufacturers in
the sector and fulfill consumer needs that are
not currently being met.
The new Geonav brand and product line
was introduced at the Genoa Boat Show in
Italy in October 2009, and the reception to the
Geonav
Expanding boldly into North
and South America
It’s rare in the recreational marine industry when a new full-line marine electronics
brand is introduced to the US market. However, in September, Geonav, a brand of
Johnson Outdoors Inc., will unveil a completely new line of networked multi-function displays, autopilots, radar, sonar and multi-instrument displays to the trade at
the NMEA Convention in Seattle, followed by a consumer launch the following month
at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. Here’s a preview of Geonav and its new products.
new brand voice, tone and appearance by the
trade and public was strong. The brand’s
promise is to deliver products that instill con-
fidence in the user through innovation, style,
reliability and ease of use. The new logo, col-
ors, contemporary styling, and refreshing
message reaffirm the brand attributes as a per-
fect complement to the elegant, high-end ves-
sels where they are used. Reflecting Geonav’s
new direction into the marketplace is its
brand slogan: Go. Boldly.
Engineering and manufacturing
The Geonav and Humminbird engineering and product management teams are
located in Alpharetta, GA. They are com-
