Robert Tarini, VP of SyQwest: "Local Manufacturing is Not Dead."

We recently had an opportunity to sit down and speak with East Greenwich resident Robert Tarini, the Vice President of SyQwest Inc., about surviving and thriving as a local manufacturer in the era of offshore outsourcing.

Q: Hello Robert, Thanks for speaking with us today!

RT: My pleasure.

Q: I understand that you’re a newlywed. Congratulations!

RT: Yes Sir, Thank you!

Q: How long have you lived in East Greenwich?

RT: About 3 years now. Before that I lived in Providence for 5 years.

Q: What drew you to settle in EG?

RT: I moved here because I wanted to be closer to the girl I was dating at the time...who eventually became my wife! (laughs) My wife Gina owns Les Mage Salon on Main Street. But that wasn’t the only reason. EG is centrally located, close to my business, the beach, my golf course. And it’s truly the ideal seaside New England village. My wife and I love the waterfront, and all the little shops and restaurants.

Q: Got to support your local businesses!

RT: (laughs) Especially since we are one! My wife and I are both very strong believers in supporting the local economy. The fact that my wife is a local business owner definitely has really opened me up to a sense of kinship with the local business community. We support the local economy and get out and participate whenever we can.

Q: Tell us about your company, SyQwest.

RT: SyQwest specializes in the manufacture and sale of high resolution single beam echo sounders for seafloor exploration, as well as other marine hydrographic applications. Essentially, we’re dedicated to providing high quality, affordable marine acoustic solutions to a global marketplace.

Q: You mean like fish finders?

RT: No…(laughs) our products are more suited for use by clients such as the US Navy and scientists conducting marine hydrographic surveys.

Q: How long has SyQwest been in business?

RT: SyQwest has existed in one form or another for almost 60 years. Before we took over the company in 2003 and renamed it SyQwest, the company was called Ocean Data Equipment Corp., a division of a much larger tech company called Channel Technologies.

Q: And you’re still here, despite the economic turmoil over the last few years.

RT: That’s right. It hasn’t always been easy but since taking over the company in 2003, we’ve experienced a nearly 500% growth in our annual revenues.

Q: How many people do you employ?

RT: SyQwest employs about 25 people from the Rhode Island area and we have plans for expansion which we plan to make an official announcement about soon.

Q: Does this mean you’ll be adding more jobs?

RT: Yes. We purchased a 60,000 square foot facility last year and are nearing the final phase of construction. Once our new offices are 100% completed, we have plans to expand our workforce as early as Q1 of 2016. Stay tuned…

Q: You hear about so much about the companies moving their manufacturing facilities overseas...it’s pretty amazing that a local manufacturer like yourself is able to compete with the likes of China.

RT: Yes…in some respects. Local manufacturing is not dead. Maintaining reasonable costs in an economic environment as turbulent as this are always a challenge. SyQwest is a zero level manufacturer, meaning that all of our products are produced and built from scratch right here in Rhode Island. We manufacture everything from the motherboard and circuit assembly to final shipping. Every component is manufactured in-house. We pride ourselves on the manufacture of survey grade, high-performance echo sounders. And frankly, our products in some cases are 30% to 60% cheaper than our nearest competitors, yet the quality of a SyQwest product is going too far surpass the competition and that is how we have been able to survive and thrive…

SyQwest Inc. is a privately held company located in Warwick RI with plans to expand into a new facility in Cranston. To learn more, please visit their website: http://www.syqwestinc.com/