Humphree reports buoyant sales

Humphree, a Swedish company that pioneered the introduction of interceptors to control the pitching movements of fast craft, has reported a 50 % increase in sales over the past year.

“This increase has come partly from the development of our range of fin stabilisers which supplement the interceptors and open up the market to a wider range of vessels. The expansion in sales has also come from the fact that we are now a recognised brand,” says Per Landegren, CEO of the company. “Also having Volvo Penta as our partner in the business now has helped expansion.

“One of the big attractions of the Humphree stabilisers is the fact that they operate on 24 volts DC, which is a safe and widely used voltage available on nearly all craft, so it is simple to install and operate. Many of the competitors in the fin stabiliser sector have units that operate on 230 volts AC which means having a generator running or they use hydraulic systems which usually means having a pump that operates from the main engines. The Humphree system is both compact and simple to install, which appeals to boatbuilders.”

“Our interceptor business remains very positive and in addition to their primary function of controlling the pitching of a boat we have adapted these units to control transverse stability at speed and also for steering. They can be used in conjunction with our fin stabilisers to give full vessel control,” commented Landegren. “We are looking for new developments and new concepts to expand our range but at present we are focussing on meeting our production requirements, which have to meet the expansion in demand.”