July 31, 2023

By: Jill Snider

Dometic Outdoor Global Marine Division is one organization that has set the bar high globally on quality standards in all aspects of its operation. From its human resources practices to its product development and manufacturing standards, the company strives for 110% in all it does. Dometic’s Vancouver, British Columbia design and manufacturing facility is the largest marine focused company in Canada. Its global standards are admirable, and our entire industry can learn from its leadership and positive practices.

In 1962, Dometic (then under the name Teleflex) developed, launched, and marketed a mechanical steering system and with its success came the first hydraulic steering in 1983 and No FeedBack Steering in ’91. Perhaps one of the most notable developments to date was the SeaStar Power Assist Hydraulic Steering System in 2005 which finally achieved the goal of making your boat drive as well as a car! The acquisition of several marine related enterprises including Morse, Sierra, Teleflex, Mallory, INCA, Moeller, Detwiler, MDI and Treeline in the 2000’s plus the launch of many recognizable marine products brings Dometic to 2023. To date, Dometic has released industry-leading mechanical, hydraulic, electrohydraulic, and electromechanical steering for boats of all size ranges. Dometic also manufactures jack plates, trim tabs, joystick docking systems, climate control, and marine toilets, to name just a few items. If it goes in or on almost any type of boat, Dometic provides it today.

This global company’s flagship marine operation is proudly based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and has 430 employees. In the marine sector, there are 7 global Dometic locations with a total of 1650 employees.

Dometic’s Vancouver Facility shipping and receiving area.

If you have worked in boating, you already know that Dometic produces superior products. Offering that level of quality starts with the people, and Dometic knows this. So, together, this super-team has found the ‘Secret Sauce for Success’. Boating Industry Canada (BIC) had the pleasure of meeting them, touring the Vancouver Facility and learning about the company’s Secret Sauce recipe. Here are a few of the key takeaways that make Dometic Global Marine’s Vancouver facility so successful.

Secret Sauce Ingredient #1 – Customer Service
From the moment I arrived, I knew that this was not just another manufacturing facility. Dometic’s facility entrance is clean, warm, and welcoming. Proudly displayed are its leading marine products along with its BIC Employer of Choice Awards for 2021 and 2022. Each Team Member acknowledged me as a guest in their facility. It was clear that Dometic understands the power of positivity and value of customer service.

Dometic Global Marine Vancouver GM Brian Dudra, proudly presents their leading marine products.

Secret Sauce Ingredient #2 - Positive Team Approach
Any smart management team knows that the key to success rests with people — and Dometic makes them a priority. Starting with promoting a great corporate culture, Dometic rewards its team with events and perks like food trucks and fishing trips. Paid training, education, annual employee awards and ongoing support are priorities, as well.
Sarah Tedd, Director of Human Resources shared some of the company’s initiatives for attracting and retaining good people. “We take great pride in listening to our employees and making them feel like family,’ said Tedd. “Employees who feel appreciated and valued will be better workers and take pride in what they do. Everybody here matters and plays an important role in our success.”

One of the most significant employee programs that Dometic runs is an Internship Program with local universities. Through this successful program, Dometic has developed and eventually hired student interns in engineering, finance, operations, and human resources. Many of the internships have resulted in long-term marine industry careers. Dometic estimates that 30-40% of its engineers are from previous internships. In 1995, Brian Dudra came to Dometic Vancouver as a student intern from the University of British Columbia School of Engineering, and 28 years later, Brian is now General Manager for Dometic Vancouver. Promoting employees from within offers personal employee growth and longevity, the result being low employee turnover rates and a positive impact on the bottom line.

Another program, introduced by Sarah Tedd in 2023 is WLD, the Women’s Leadership Development Program. The program adopted the acronym, AIM, meaning “Advance, Inspire, Mentor”. Tedd knows that empowering women to realize their personal and career potential will also create a positive effect on the overall operation of the company. Building a diverse group through inclusivity, constructing a positive environment for all, fostering growth, and providing leadership opportunities at all levels of the company are the outcomes of this program.

The Women’s Leadership program AIM’s to empower, women to realize their potential.

Programs like these have helped Dometic achieve many awards — including the Boating Industry Canada Employer of Choice Award for two years in a row. Dometic’s top employer recognition in Canada’s recreational marine industry has helped it improve employee engagement and offer a unique competitive advantage in attracting top talent. Year over year, Dometic has improved its scores by more than 5% in training and development, career advancement, environment and facilities, and reputation. Dometic won’t stop there, either. The company is already planning new programs and improvements to make a run at winning this award for the third year in a row.

Creating this positive energy environment, coupled with the company’s in-depth training in soft skills such as customer service pays off every day. The positive corporate environment spills over to hard skills for high-quality standards in its product development and manufacturing practices, too.

Secret Sauce Ingredients #3 & #4 - Safety & Quality
Safety in the work environment is as much a priority as the safety and reliability of its products. Dometic Vancouver Health and Safety Programs have been developed based on four core values – Act Responsibly, Embrace Change, Be Passionate and Build Together. The team embracing these core values understands that these are the keys to creating reliable products.

Employees of Dometic embrace the 4 Core Values of Health & Safety

In development and manufacturing, Eric Fetchko and his team do not let anything get in the way of quality and safety. Brian Dudra calls it “Mission Critical,” because boats need systems to run seamlessly. There is very little margin for error when you are out on the water, so every product is 100% performance tested in-house. The 18-step process for development of any product includes a customized Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFMEA) that is customized around Dometic’s Guiding Principles. DFMEA is the process of reviewing as many components, assemblies, and subsystems as possible to identify potential failure modes in a system, as well as their potential causes and effects. Dometic takes this principle very seriously.

Dometic has over 100 patents for marine products in the Vancouver facility alone, and the matrix and principles are applied to every product. As a result, warranty issues are minimized for the end-user while safety and reliability are ensured. This has a positive effect for the boating industry, while also benefiting the company’s bottom line.

The SeaStar Front Mount Helm steering awaits quality check.

Precision training, safety and quality control are displayed in all that Dometic does. 

Dometic is also very focused on sustainability and investing in the future. This company plans to move onward and upward in the future — while maintaining the principles and corporate culture that are leading the way in Canada.

The Secret Sauce seems like a recipe that everyone will like!

Visit www.dometic.com.