Standout DAME Design Award 2022 winner showcases best practices in design improvement

Jury Chair Andre Hoek presented the world-renowned DAME Design Award 2022 to the Ocean Signal RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon at this morning’s METSTRADE Breakfast Briefing. Six products took Category wins, 13 more received Special Mentions and the Jury named its first Environmental Design Award.

The headline news of the compact PLB3 is its combination of an AIS man overboard device and GPS with a Cospas-Sarsat personal locator beacon, Galileo Return Link Service and incorporation of visible and infrared signal lights. In a rescue situation speed is always of the essence and this unit provides the very best chance for survival through this blend of long- and short-range detection technologies. The design detail goes even further though, in accompanying features like the well-illustrated instruction manual and in a Near Field Communication app that enables you to test the PLB3 using your mobile telephone.

In reaching its decision, the Jury recognised that the harnessing of multiple technologies in such a small unit, attention to design in every detail and Ocean Signal’s determination to make already good products into better ones to maximise the chance of saving lives made the RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon its standout DAME Design Award 2022 winner.

Commenting on the result, Chair of the Jury, Andre Hoek stated: “As time passes, the boundaries of products that we examine in the DAME Jury room get ever wider. This year, we assessed everything from a tiny boat and outboard tracker to a 65-tonne travel hoist. Whatever its size, price or complexity though, the Jury remains very focused on examining the design of products in all aspects, from function, form, environment, innovation, and price to performance. All 48 nominees are to be congratulated on meeting the scrutiny of this process."

“Our overall DAME Design Award winner is an excellent example of how you can never stop pushing to make new improvements, even in a segment of the marketplace where products are already impressively advanced in what they achieve for the size and price.”

Serviceable battery named first DAME Environmental Design Award winner

For its first citation in this new discretionary award, the Jury chose a product that addresses a rapidly growing concern about end-of-life disposal in a world heading for batteries with everything. The Aceleron Essential is a cobalt-free lithium iron phosphate battery with replaceable and upgradeable parts. A faulty cell no longer requires the replacement of the whole battery. Returned parts are redistributed or remanufactured for second life use.

Speaking about the Jury’s decision on this award, Andre Hoek explained: “Notable iterative design steps towards a sustainable future are those we hope to highlight with this discretionary award. For that reason, we commend Aceleron’s efforts with modern battery technologies to break an unwelcome norm for whole products to be disposed of when just one component is broken.”

€15,600 raised by DAME entrants for worthy causes

Each year the organisers of METSTRADE donate the combined registration fees for the DAME Design Award to a selected charity as a way of giving back to society. For 2022 the METSTRADE Exhibition Committee selected World Sailing Trust to receive the donation. This organisation’s objectives are to promote and enhance sailing in all its forms and protect the waters the sport depends on. See worldsailingtrust.org for more information.

DAME DESIGN AWARD 2022 Overall Winner

Ocean Signal RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon by Ocean Signal
Stand 03.438

CATEGORY WINNERS

Marine Electronics and Marine Related Software
YachtSense Link 4G Marine Router by Raymarine
Stand 01.111

Interior Equipment, Furnishing, Materials and Electrical Fittings used in Cabins
In accordance with the rules of the competition, the Jury did not award a winner in the Interior Equipment, Furnishing, Materials and Electrical Fittings used in Cabins category this year after carefully considering the standards presented against the level of other categories.

Marina Equipment, Boatyard Equipment and Boat Construction Tools and Materials
MarineShift360 Lifecycle Assessment Tool by Marineshift360
Stand 12.901

Deck Equipment, Sails and Rigging
Arya by Amare
Stand 03.445

Clothing and Crew Accessories
Aquafleece Robe by Rooster Sailing
Stand 05.508

Lifesaving and Safety Equipment
Ocean Signal RescueME PLB3 AIS Personal Locator Beacon by Ocean Signal
Stand 03.438

Machinery, Propulsion, Mechanical and Electrical Systems and Fittings
Integrel....The Next Generation by Integrel Solutions
Stand 01.580

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN AWARD WINNER

Essential by Aceleron
Stand 02.117

SPECIAL MENTIONS

Marine Electronics and Marine Related Software
IC-M510E (with AIS receiver) by Icom
Stand 01.151

MAX Mini by Sailmon
Stand 11.200

Interior Equipment, Furnishing, Materials and Electrical Fittings Used in Cabins
In accordance with the rules of the competition, the Jury did not award a Special Mention in the Clothing and Crew Accessories category this year after carefully considering the standard against other categories.

Marina Equipment, Boatyard Equipment and Boat Construction Tools and Materials
Aqua superPower marina fast charging system by Aqua superPower
Stand 05.517

Deck Equipment, Sails and Rigging
FXe 4500 Electric Code Sail furler by Facnor
Stand 05.441

Karver Sharing Center by Karver Systems
Stand 05.323

KJSK – Karver Jammer Staysail Kit by Karver Systems
Stand 05.323

Rollable Boat Hook by Seaview Progress
Stand 05.320

Clothing and Crew Accessories
X-Over Eco Cork by Forward WIP
Stand 12.420

Lifesaving and Safety Equipment
GlobalFix V5 AIS EPIRB by ACR Electronics
Stand 03.438

Regatta Safelock by Regatta and Aalesund Protective Wear
Stand 01.663

FURIO by SECUMAR
Stand 01.731

Machinery, Propulsion, Mechanical and Electrical Systems and Fittings
Seakeeper Ride by Seakeeper
Stand 10.613

ZF POD 4600 by ZF Group
Stand 01.161

About the DAME Design Award

The DAME Design Award celebrates everything that is important about marine equipment design, from aesthetics to functionality, integration to packaging and price efficiency to life cycle management. It offers opportunities for all METSTRADE Show exhibitors from around the world to submit their latest products and have them judged by experts spanning all areas of design. Because of this wider focus, the DAME Design Award competition encourages the whole marine industry to continuously improve its design efforts, to the last detail. Entrants are not just judged against their global peers, but the DAME Jury recognises improvements from year-to-year within individual companies too.

The DAME Design Award, continues to perform a vital function within the marine industry in stimulating design progression across all disciplines and product types. Great end-to-end design is vital to improve manufacturing efficiency and product reliability. It plays a developing role in environmental responsibility. It also recognises that the marine industry must match the high customer expectations set by products in other sectors like automotive and consumer electronics.