Ship repairer SMS Group has best year in company's history

Published by

Stephen Emerson

SMS engineers at work

Cruise and superyacht work has helped a South Coast ship repairer record the busiest year in its history.

The SMS Group, headquartered within the Port of Southampton, experienced a record 2021 and is anticipating further growth over the next 12 months.

The firm – traditionally a ship repairer over its 64 year history – has invested in a team of industry professionals to establish, develop and deliver in the interior outfit and marine refurbishment sector within the cruise industry.

Dan Lockyer, who heads up the team, said: “On the back of the Covid hiatus, and the industry restarting, we’ve achieved some phenomenal milestones.

“Concurrent working, on multiple vessels, simultaneously, is now the norm.

“We’ve recruited new project management and estimating resource. We’ve worked globally.

“We’ve attracted new customers and supported old with their vessel reactivations.

“We’ve invested in new storage facilities, and we’ve expanded our supply chain.”

The SMS Group employs more than 150 people. As well as Southampton, Portsmouth, Dover and Lowestoft, it also has sites in Glasgow, Portsmouth, Poole and Bristol.

The company has completed cruise refit projects across Europe, currently has a further three superyacht projects ‘live’ and four cruise projects under contract.

With a pipeline in excess of £5 million Darren Smith, head of business development, said: “By staying true to our core values of ‘turnkey project management’, ‘value engineering’ and the ‘lifetime value of customer relationships’ we’ve genuinely benefitted as the industry has restarted.

“We’ve a serious pipeline, much of which is under contract and we’re really going to push for continued growth in 2022.”

Stephen Emerson

Stephen Emerson is the Managing Editor of The Business Magazine and is responsible for the publication's print publications and online properties including the newly launched Biz News websites in Hampshire and Dorset. Stephen has been a journalist for 20 years and has worked at local, regional and national publications and led a team which made The Scotsman website one of the fastest growing news sites in the UK with over eight million monthly users. He has a keen interest in technology, property and corporate finance and telling the stories of the people behind the successful firms in these sectors.