Tasmania, Australia, is not a large-scale boatbuilding hub, but with a rich maritime history, it punches above its weight in high-performance aluminium vessels, niche equipment manufacturing and specialised marine engineering.
Family-owned Muir Anchoring Systems is one of the Tasmanian headquartered companies building a strong reputation in the global leisure marine and superyacht sectors.
With clients including Feadship, Lürssen, Incat, Austal, Damen, Moonen, Riviera and Maritimo, the company’s anchoring systems are designed for vessels ranging from 5 metres to the world’s largest superyachts. Today, Muir is entering a new phase of expansion – strengthening its distribution network and extending its reach across Europe and beyond.
Scaling globally from a Tasmanian base
Muir’s general manager, Max Buckley, says the company is on a mission to champion Australian manufacturing and underscore the company’s 100+ year expertise.
“While some European countries are noted for their high quality production, Australia’s got a good reputation to craftsmanship as well – but Tasmania in particular has this fantastic reputation for artisan products and customised goods – everything we make here is considered the highest quality in Australia. So we’re trying to leverage that,” says Buckley (pictured below).
“We have a strong brand but perhaps that hasn’t been leveraged as much as we’d like. So by increasing our marketing efforts and trying to organically grow sales internationally we are driving greater visibility and market expansion.”
The company is pursuing growth through enhanced international marketing initiatives and targeted acquisitions to expand its product range. Buckley says that Muir is seeking to add cross-selling opportunities including deck equipment, steering systems, and sailing winches with companies that offer complementary expertise and high-value products.
“We are actively evaluating acquisitions, particularly those that present logical cross-selling opportunities. The aim is to build a product portfolio that aligns closely with and reinforces the values of Muir.”
Overcoming geographic distance
Buckley emphasises that quality, expertise and Muir’s more than 100-year heritage differentiate the brand from competitors – including those located closer to European shipyards.
“The reality is that we’re not that far away. We can fly over easily. We are present at all the key marine events. We answer clients quickly and get them the responses they need to keep their projects going.
“Sure, it would be nice to be building next door to the shipyards but we have a fantastic group of people at our plant who are passionate about the products that we produce. And I think that’s partly what sets us apart.
“It’s not just a production line that’s pumping winches out.”
He points to a winch on the exhibition stand where the factory worker’s initials are written on the side – each product is signed off by hand at the factory. “That guy who’s handwriting you see there has been building those winches for 30 years.”
Customisation as competitive advantage
Being family owned and operationally agile enables Muir to respond quickly to clients and market requirements – a significant advantage in a highly customised segment.
Safety is a primary focus, with the emphasis on reducing operator interaction with chain systems and deck hazards.
Launched in November 2025 at Metstrade, Muir’s Compact Series of Planetary Drive Horizontal Mega Winches are engineered to reduce the anchoring footprint and improve serviceability in superyacht deck layouts.
“We are effectively halving – or even reducing to a third – the amount of chain above deck, which is highly attractive for many shipbuilders,” Buckley explains.
At Metstrade, Muir also showcased its new Cougar Stainless Steel Horizontal Windlass. An industry-first evolution of Muir’s trusted HR1200/1600 series, the windlass is designed to offer corrosion resistance, greater winch strength and long-term reliability.
“This product came to fruition following a client request. It had to be horizontal because of the chain locker and the hawse-pipe location for the anchor.
“A lot of the competition have aluminium horizontal winches but they suffer from corrosion. It’s been a long-term problem in the market so we decided to just go the whole way and produce a full stainless design,” explains Buckley.
Recent headwinds include supply chain disruptions, extended lead times for motors and gearboxes, and input cost inflation pressuring fixed-price yacht projects. And this was prior to the Iran-US conflict.
Buckley says: “We had to work with our clients on smart ways to mitigate the impact on them and mitigate the challenges we were dealing with.”
Muir now produces each project approximately one month ahead of schedule to ensure timely delivery. The manufacturer has also significantly increased inventory levels to maintain production continuity.
“We effectively doubled our stock in 2025 to build a buffer and ensure we could deliver larger systems without delay,” he adds.
These measures are expected to position the company more resiliently for 2026, a year already characterised by heightened volatility and geopolitical uncertainty.
Expansion markers
The company maintains a European distribution network with representatives in the UK, Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Turkey and Croatia, among others.
In 2025, Muir partnered with Recambios Marinos and Sergi Badia in Spain. Recmar is now a key stockist of Muir equipment in the region and will also help with the quoting, specification and delivery of Muir’s custom-tailored anchoring solutions.
Buckley adds that 2026 will see further expansion of the distribution network and increased presence at major boat shows, as the company aims to strengthen its position in the global anchoring systems market.
This article was originally published in Marine Industry News magazine. Read more issues here.
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