Propspeed expands European team

Underwater foul-release company, Propspeed, is expanding its European operations with the appointment of Edo Smitz as commercial sales manager – EMEA. Smitz is based in Almere, Holland, and will be responsible for ‘driving brand awareness and developing key partnerships in the commercial sector throughout the European market’.

Smitz (pictured left) spent the past 15 years working for Yanmar, initially for the marine leisure segment and later moving into the parts division where new distributor and dealer networks were established.

“Over the past several years, we have focused on recruiting key personnel in vital markets and establishing a secure supply chain so that our warehouses are fully stocked with product,” says Chris Baird, CEO, Propspeed. “We are ready to kick off what is sure to be a very busy 2022 and are confident that Edo will provide exceptional service to our commercial customers in Europe.”

“From the very beginning I received a warm welcome from the entire Propspeed team which made me feel immediately comfortable and at home,” says Smitz. “From the top down, one thing that we all agree on is that offering an incredible customer experience is our top priority. I’m eager to hit the ground running to use our established product line to assist our customers in reducing their fuel consumption and decreasing their maintenance costs for a more profitable business.”

The expansion of the European operations team with the appointment of Smitz follows the company establishing a presence in Italy and a series of partnerships during 2021.

In December 2021, New Zealand-headquartered Propspeed announced it would be training and certifying seven coatings specialists at custom superyacht builder Pendennis Shipyard in Falmouth, United Kingdom. 

Propspeed products include Propspeed for running gear and any underwater metals, Foulfree for transducers and Lightspeed for underwater lighting.