Article: Motor boat leaves rivals in its wake

A James Bond-style craft has capped a remarkable turnaround for its Llanelli makers by blowing its competitors out of the water at the London Boat Show.

The Dafen-manufactured Avon Adventure 580dl RIB, which can be seen in the latest 007 movie Quantum of Solace, won the motor boat of the year award.

Avon has been making inflatable craft in Llanelli since the 1960s, but the workforce is now around a third of the number employed at the plant 10 years ago.

Last April, parent company Zodiac Marine and Pool, announced it planned to close the plant by 2010, blaming market forces and stiff competition from Asia.

The move would have seen the loss of almost 60 jobs, but the company had a change of ...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!