Hyde Sails expands in the Philipines
by Louise Crowden, Pro-Action 15 Aug 2007 10:56 BST
The new knife wheel cutter at the Hyde Sails Cebu loft © Hyde Sails
Hyde Sails are continuing the expansion of their sail loft, located in Cebu, Philippines. Hyde Sails Cebu Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UK Company. Hyde set up the sail loft in 2003 with 16 staff and 20,000 sq ft of space. Over the past four years the loft has grown to 55,000 sq ft and now employs over 200 staff. The loft is managed by Ian Flanders who worked for Hyde in the UK and is now permanently resident in Cebu.
An aggressive investment programme has ensured that the equipment in Cebu is the best available in the market. A new computer controlled, pizza wheel cutter was purchased last year to supplement the output from the two Laser cutters transferred from the UK and a number of specialised heavy duty machines have been installed to maintain the quality of the yacht sail production.
Further growth is planned in 2008, particularly in the manufacture of custom yacht sails. This section currently employs 40 people but demand and therefore production is anticipated to increase next year. Hyde is presently recruiting a manager to run this department. He, or she, will become second in command, also assisting Ian Flanders in the management of the business.
Cebu is the second largest city in the Philippines but rural districts are a short distance away and there are 5 star beach resorts nearby. The Hyde Sails loft is air conditioned and is a very pleasant working environment.
Hyde Sails Cebu manufactures sails for dinghies, one design keelboats, custom racing and cruising yachts. They supply a number of high profile OEM’s such as Performance Sailcraft Europe, Vanguard Boats in the US, Topper International and Northshore Yachts. A wide variety of materials is stocked in Cebu to accommodate the full range of products from Optimists to 100 foot Superyachts. The sail design work is carried out in the UK at present but there are plans to train a designer in Cebu to cope with the increased demand.
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