Coventry maritime tech firm targets industrial market after officially receiving King's Award for Enterprise

A Coventry company which uses ultrasound to help ships become more energy efficient is set to branch out into the industrial market following a presentation of one of the most prestigious awards in the business world.

Sonihull, whose industry-leading products prevent marine life binding to ships’ hulls without the use of harmful chemicals, was the only Coventry recipient of the King’s Award for Enterprise, which it received in the International Trade Category.

CEO Darren Rowlands was officially presented with the award by the Lord-Lieutenant of the West Midlands, Sir John Crabtree, at its offices in Mercia Business Village in Coventry. Coventry’s mayor Cllr Jaswant Singh Birdi and a range of Sonihull’s business partners were also in attendance.

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Sonihull is now looking to diversify its customer base with its new product, Agitate, which could help industrial firms keep their pipes and machines running smoothly to significantly boost their efficiency and productivity.

Darren said: “It was absolutely wonderful to be officially presented with our King’s Award for Enterprise, and it was a lovely occasion for the whole business and our partners to enjoy.

“Being the only company in Coventry to win one in the first place was pretty special, and underlines the quality of our exporting which counts for around 95 per cent of our income.

“However, we do not want to rest on our laurels. We are hoping to work with many different customers both in the UK and around the world now that we’ve launched Agitate, which applies our leading technology in new areas.”

Sonihull’s range of products emit ultrasonic soundwaves across a ship’s hull to prevent marine wildlife such as algae, molluscs, and weeds from binding to the surface.

This reduces drag and ensures its hydrodynamic shape is retained, reducing fuel consumption and increasing efficiency.

It also means toxic biocidal coatings which are traditionally used to stop marine life binding no longer need to be used.

Agitate uses the same technology to prevent organic and non-organic build-up in pipework and other products, which could allow a wide variety of industrial companies to save hundreds of thousands in pipeline maintenance costs, significantly reduce carbon emissions, and generate carbon credits which could then be monetised.

Darren added: “The success of our ultrasonic products on commercial ships and leisure craft alike got us thinking about new applications for the technology.

“Downtime caused by pipe blockages can cost companies in various industries thousands of pounds every minute, and are caused by similar build-ups of debris that slow down ships while out to sea.

“Agitate uses the same ultrasonic emissions as our maritime products to prevent build-ups of this debris inside pipework, allowing a clear flow to be maintained.

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"This not only saves the customer money, but also keeps the pipe clean without the need for a laborious cleaning process which can often involve harmful chemicals.

“The use of Agitate also generates carbon credits, which could later be sold to the open market for offsetting purposes and are a key tool in the race to Net Zero.”

“Receiving the King’s Award for Enterprise capped off a fantastic 2023 for us, and the launch of Agitate gives us confidence that 2024 may be an even better year for the business.”