New Wire Marine, a marine electrical system design company, announced today that they have acquired new Computer Numerical Control (CNC) equipment that will allow the company to expand into the OEM switch panel market.

New Wire Marine, the Charleston, S.C. based marine electrical system designer, announced today that they have purchased new Computer Numerical Control (CNC) equipment, a high-tech, computer controlled cutting tool that has allow the company to enter the commercial switch panel market. The CNC machine is able to cut any shape with high precision on a 2D surface and will enable New Wire Marine to raster engrave stunning graphics and detailed logos and text into their switch panels.

New Wire Marine hopes to fill a very large gap in the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) switch panel market by becoming an affordable vendor and leading supplier of custom switch panels to smaller boat builders. Most vendors in the business will only supply large quantities of a single panel and they don't have the logo engraving and backlighting process that the engineers at New Marine have developed. Small builders will find that at New Wire Marine there are no minimum quantities, they accept requests for variations in panel design (such as switch label and position) and will even help a client completely re-design a panel layout.

"We are really excited to bring logo engraving and backlighting capability to our boat manufacturer customers," said New Wire Marine owner, Eric Steele. "So far the feedback we've been getting is extremely positive. We've been helping the do-it-yourself marketplace for years. I'm excited to be able to offer these great products to commercial boat builders," said Steele.

The new CNC equipment in New Wire Marine's tool bag was a key element in the company's decision to enter the commercial switch plate market. In commenting on the performance of the CNC cutter Steele said, "This machine is incredible; accurate to four thousandths of an inch. The products that our reverse engraving process is putting out have truly been incredible. I'm impressed every time I see a part pulled out of the machine." This new equipment makes it possible for New Wire Marine to cut switch panel substrates in house and allows rapid prototyping and quick turnaround times on custom products. It also is key in the company's ability to produce high-end custom marine switch plates for the small to medium sized boat builders that have been neglected by switch panel manufacturers in the past.

Eric Steele was quite comfortable in integrating this high tech tool into his business, in no small part due to the fact that the New Wire Marine owner has a degree in electrical engineering and was an experienced System of Systems (SoS) engineer in the shipbuilding industry. More than that, he is an avid boat restoration hobbyist, a passion that continues to drive him and his business to develop innovative products. New Wire Marine plans to introduce more than 75 new custom and semi-custom switch panel layouts, quadrupling their current inventory. These layouts will be available in matte black, white and a carbon fiber looking material, as well as other colors and styles for custom orders.

While New Wire Marine appears to be one step ahead of the competition on the technology front, they are also employing the same forward-thinking approach to customer service. The company has created a new webpage where their customers can get an instant online quote for a custom made boat switch panel. They will also engrave and backlight logos and boat names into the switch panels at prices that no other supplier in the industry can match; a perfect match for the small to medium sized boat builder. Their product lines also extends beyond boating as the company will make panels for any industry such as RV's, ATV's, golf carts or just about anything that will look and function that much better with a custom switch panel.

New Wire Marine has been successful in getting the attention of their target market among small to medium sized boat builders. They are already doing business with several, all of whom are happy to have a reliable vendor of affordable OEM marine grade switch panels. Their competitive pricing and quick turnaround time will go a long way toward continuing to raise the national profile of this marine electrical system design company.