SPOTLIGHT
JOHN HINES BUILDER , 2019
Atlantic Canada Marine Industries Hall of Fame
IVAN LAUGHS AS HE RECALLS THAT “ SINCE STARTING WITH THE OLD MAN , THERE ’ S BEEN A CELL PHONE GLUED TO MY HIP FOR THE LAST TWO DECADES .”
When he was in the field , Ivan says there was nothing quite like going up on the spire , installing a piece of equipment , and showing the customer how to use it . He always felt immense pride when showing his customers how to use a new piece of technology that was going to make their trips that much easier , effective , and more profitable .
The Little Things
In addition to selling and servicing top-ofthe-line marine electronics brands , HMS has designed and produced many of its own items to help fishermen become more efficient . When the company sees a need for something that would create a smoother fishing experience for its customers , they step in and come up with a cost-effective solution .
In 1986 , it was quite expensive to buy a large screen display radar , so most fishermen could only afford a very small screen . John recognized this and decided to explore the possibility of simply replacing the small screen with a large screen . By using a modified front case and rearranging the intricate parts of the device , John was able to come up with an affordable large-screen alternative . He sold about 80 of these radars , some of which remained in operation over 20 years later .
HMS has also produced a variety of different remotes and controls , the most popular being the dedicated software remotes — simplified keypads for fishermen to use when navigating their electronic computer plotters — introduced in 2004 . John observed that many fisherman were reluctant to add this new technology to their vessels because they simply weren ’ t sure they could learn how to use this seemingly complex software . Having a keypad control gave many the confidence to try it , saving customers boatloads of frustration .
The EZ-Box was developed in 2015 after HMS realized that fishermen weren ’ t interacting with all their Plotters because they simply didn ’ t have time to start and stop Tracking and Marking on all of them for every string of gear put out . The EZ-Box resolved this by simultaneously activating / deactivating all the Plotters with the push of a single button . Within eight hours of releasing the product to the public on Facebook , HMS had 100 units sold .
Another issue that HMS noticed was that fishermen were reluctant to use WATCH alarms because the available models didn ’ t have a visual time countdown . This meant that crews didn ’ t know when the alarm was going to go off , so the loud noise would take them by surprise and disturb the other crew . In this case , it was as simple as taking that existing piece of technology and adding a countdown screen to it .
It ’ s Worth It
At the end of the day , customers choose HMS time and time again because it ’ s worth it . This is a company that truly cares about its customers , and every piece of HMS equipment comes with a guarantee of service when you need it . At West Head , we trust HMS for all of our marine electronics needs because we know they ’ ll be there for us and for you .
You can get in touch with Ivan and his crew at ( 902 ) 723-2429 or by visiting HinesMarine . com .
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