Ride on squads a ‘big win,’ says The SMS Group

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The move has helped ensure Cruise related revenue, according to The SMS Group
The SMS Group has seen increased revenues since relocating its Southampton base with ride on squads proving most popular, according to the ship repair company.

‘A big win for us has been the ride on squads,’ said Dan Lockyer, head of interiors, The SMS Group. ‘They’re lower revenue but allow our customers to make the most of both their budgets and capacity onboard.’

Nicholas Warren, commercial director, The SMS Group added, ‘The provision of ride on squads across both our engineering business and out fit business has enabled us to capitalise on our unique position in Southampton.

‘Short, sharp port calls have allowed us to demob and remob quickly and efficiently to the benefit of all our cruise customers… This month alone we’ve attended over a dozen ships within the port.’

Bolstering revenue

The SMS Group relocated its Southampton base eight weeks ago to Western Avenue, within ABP Southampton’s footprint and adjacent to the King George V drydock. At the same site, sister company Global Services manages vessels’ procurement and supply needs.

So says Lockyer, ‘Our short-term future is focussed on smaller packages of work, but very soon we hope to see a meaningful recovery - both universal testing and vaccines will ensure the industry recovers quickly.’

He added that the company's ‘pipeline is very strong,’ with a ‘daily growing network’ and a ‘genuinely healthy’ order book. 

Investment

The SMS Group states it will be investing in its new mechanical and fabrication workshops.