Mackay Awarded Sperry Marine Sales & Service Agency, Historical Connection
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Mackay & Sperry Connect a Century Later
Historical Probability, circa 1900/1910:
In 1910, two scientists, often collaborating, often competing, revolutionized maritime navigation by inventing the gyrocompass. The two scientists were Hermann Anschutz, of Germany, and Dr. Elmer Sperry, from Brooklyn, NY, USA. With the outbreak of World War I four years later, demand sky-rocketed for Dr. Sperry’s invention, launching the first and largest of eight companies started by the “Doctor”.
Overlapping Dr. Sperry’s career in Brooklyn, was Mackay Communications’ founder, John Mackay. A decade earlier, Mackay was at the pinnacle of his career, having risen from an impoverished Irish immigrant family in 1838, to one of America’s wealthiest men. By 1900, John Mackay was a major philanthropist and an active investor in the flourishing technology start-ups of that era. Undoubtedly, Dr. Sperry and John Mackay, were acquainted. Although the record is unclear, it is most probable that Mr. Mackay was an early investor in some of the companies created by Dr. Sperry.
Fast Forward… 2013 and Beyond:
One century later, Sperry and Mackay business interests have officially intersected. Mackay Marine is now an authorized Sales & Service Agent for Sperry Marine in the USA. Sperry has kept to their heritage, as they still engineer and manufacture one of the world’s leading Gyrocompasses; with an expanded navigational equipment offering to include Auto-pilots, Steering Systems, Speed-logs, Radars, and ECDIS. Typically, a Cobham (Thrane) SAILOR GMDSS and a Danelec VDR are included to complete a “Sperry” Integrated Bridge System.
In mid-2012, Sperry Marine sought to expand their service coverage in North America to better serve their customers. Sperry and Mackay Marine immediately recognized the highly-complementary nature of our service networks. Sperry identified key locations to augment their existing U.S. service coverage, referring Mackay Marine Service for Sperry equipment on ships visiting the ports of Charleston (SC), Savannah (GA), Tampa (FL), Corpus Christi (TX), Mackay World Service, Houston (TX), and San Francisco/Richmond (CA); potentially adding more port locations for Mackay to service Sperry equipment in the future.
Comprehensive Sperry service training of Mackay Marine Technicians started in August, 2012 and has continued through June, 2013, involving forty-four man-weeks of schools. Mackay took delivery of spare-parts service kits in April, 2013.
Contact service@mackaymarine.com (+1 281-478-6245) 24/7 for service coordination of your Sperry Marine electronic products.
To purchase Sperry Marine equipment for replacement, retrofit, or new-build design, contact Mackay Marine Sales at marinesales@mackaymarine.com (+1-281-479-1515).
