The high mobility vehicle and engineering firm, Supacat, has rebranded under a new SC identity to take the company forward in its successful expansion into new markets and provide a clear customer focus for the company’s products and capabilities.

The newly formed SC Group comprises four defined businesses.  Solidly established in defence, the Supacat name remains in place for the company’s core defence business; SC Innovation is the new brand for all engineering solutions for non-defence customers; Proteum the new brand for the marine products and services company (formerly MDS Marine); and the Blackhill Engineering brand is retained for the large fabrications and associated machining business.

Having successfully outgrown its brand, and whilst retaining its heritage, the new group identity has been created as a platform to allow the company to grow and develop its joint capabilities and bring innovative solutions to its customers across multiple sectors.  Over the last decade it has become one of the world’s leading companies in developing equipment for operation in harsh environments in sectors from defence to marine, renewables, mineral exploration, oil & gas and nuclear power sectors, where high performance, reliability and safety are paramount.

The company was founded in 1980 to develop high mobility vehicles for defence and civil customers.  In 2011 it established Supacat Pty Ltd in Australia and during 2014 made a series of acquisitions in the commercial marine sector leading to the creation of Proteum based in Hamble, UK.  At the end of last year Exeter based heavy fabrication specialist, Blackhill Engineering , was acquired.  SC Group, the Supacat defence business and SC Innovation operate from headquarter facilities at Dunkeswell, Devon, UK.

“The SC brand brings together our people, products and services to create an innovative engineering group structure to achieve our 2020 vision of a diversified industrial group offering a one stop shop of engineering processes.  I look forward to leading the SC Group into the future and, working with our customers to exceed their expectations. We have a passionate and committed team with the skills, expertise, focus and passion to provide the highest value to our customers with bespoke quality products and services”, said Nick Ames, Chief Executive, SC Group.

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The renamed SC Group comprises:

• Supacat is the refreshed brand retaining the company heritage for the core defence business.  Supacat develops and supports high mobility military vehicles such as the HMT Series (e.g. Jackal and Coyote), LRV400 and SPV400 and provides specialist engineering services for defence customers.
• SC Innovation provides engineering solutions to support all non-defence business. SC Innovation incorporates specialist vehicle work with the RNLI and the emergency services together with products and services for challenging sectors such as oil & gas, marine, renewable energy and nuclear.  These include the SMV 24 multi-purpose vessel and a wave energy device.
• Proteum is a newly consolidated marine brand within SC Group, formed following the recent acquisition of MDS Marine and Bukh Diesel UK. Proteum represents and distributes a portfolio of marine products and services across UK and Ireland including Bukh, Marine Diesel Sweden, OXE Diesel and Konrad propulsion systems. Proteum also offers global support solutions.
• Blackhill Engineering Services, established over 50 years ago and another recent acquisition of the Group, retains its existing brand.  Blackhill Engineering serves current and new customers with an expanded portfolio of machine engineering, large fabrication and complex machine assembly services.

-ends-

For information:
Jamie Clarke
SC Group Ltd
[email protected]
+44 (0)7921 973916

Celia Turner
CTPR
[email protected]
+44(0)7703 344425

Supacat is unveiling the Supacat Multi-purpose Vessel 24 (SMV24) to the defence and security market at DSEi. Launched to the wider marine and renewable energy sectors in July, the SMV24 is a new concept in support vessel design, which also has the potential to perform a range of defence and security related roles. Its flexibility, high speed and high payload have already attracted interest from potential operators in the sector.

The SMV24 is a fine entry catamaran that can achieve speeds up to 30 knots and has a range up to 790nm. In the present configuration, the 24 metre vessel can carry up to 12 additional passengers and up to 30 tonnes of cargo simultaneously. However, the flexibility of the design allows for adaptation to meet alternative and emerging roles.

The first SMV24 is under construction and will be completed later this year. It was developed by Supacat to support the new generation of far offshore wind farms which require it to operate up to 150 nm from a safe haven.

“Since launching the SMV24 into the marine and renewable energy markets it has generated interest from military users for a number of different roles, hence our decision to exhibit it at DSEi. Supacat has a strong brand in defence, which differentiates our offering in this segment of the market”, said Jamie Clarke, Head of Marketing & Communications.

Supacat has built a global reputation as the developer of high mobility vehicles, such its HMT series – the vehicle of choice for elite special forces and best known as `Jackal` and `Coyote` in service with British Armed Forces. Over the last decade the company has successfully applied the company’s innovation and engineering skills to develop products in the adjacent marine and renewables sectors for customers, including the RNLI and Fred Olsen.

The SMV24’s multi-role performance is based on a revolutionary deck system boasting a through-deck and an integrated rail system running the length of the vessel. This allows a range of equipment for different roles to be installed, such as ISO containers, a deck crane or diving rig. The deck can carry up to 50ft of ISO containers in a variety of 20ft and 10ft sizes.

For the SMV24 project Supacat selected a team with strong pedigrees in the marine sector. Naval architects Incat Crowther translated Supacat’s SMV 24 concept into a detailed design and established boat builder, Mustang Marine (Wales) Ltd, is building the first vessel. DNV advised on classification. The SMV24 will meet DNV 1A1 HSLC R1 Windfarm Service Vessel Class 1 and be UK MCA SCV Code (MGN280) Category 1.

The ISO compatibility of the through deck allows the SMV24 to perform multiple roles including infrastructure support, diving, survey, fuel transport, workshop, refrigeration, general cargo, passenger transport, Remotely Operated Vehicle support by using ISO compatible modular custom loads. The rapid loading of these alternative ISO modules extend the functionality of the SMV 24 further. Interestingly, the inspiration for this functionality came from defence where Supacat has witnessed such modularity in use for military logistic operations.

The SMV24 is a catamaran based design constructed from marine grade aluminium with double bottom to ensure maximum survivability. Two MAN D2862 LE463 engines each coupled to a Servogear Controllable Pitch Propeller give greater control of thrust throughout the rev range and maximise fuel economy. Significant redundancy has been built into the electrical system to fulfil specific customer requirements and the two generators fitted are capable of powering all the vessel systems individually.

At DSEi a 1:25 scale model of the SMV24 can be viewed on Supacat’s stand.

 

In association with Supacat, the Cooperative Research Centre for Advanced Composite Structures (CRC-ACS) was awarded the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) Star Award for 2013, which recognise excellence in collaboration between CRCs and Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

Supacat, the innovation house and high mobility vehicle specialists, and Pacific ESI, were the two SMEs engaged with CRC-ACS (and its subsidiary ACS Australia) who received certificates in recognition of the companies’ interaction and involvement with the research and government communities.  The certificate was presented by Ms Chris Butler, Head of Division, AusIndustry, on behalf of Senator the Hon. Don Farrell, Minister for Science & Research, at the CRC Association Conference’s Excellence in Innovation Awards dinner.

Michael Halloran, Managing Director, Supacat Pty Ltd said, “The involvement with CRCs is an important element of our R&D program and through CRC-ACS we have been able to leverage that research into relationships with significant international companies.”

Thanh Nguyen, who leads Supacat’s participation in CRC-ACS, received the certificate on behalf of the company at the awards dinner.  Mr Nguyen said, “Not only has our involvement with CRC-ACS continued to develop our high end skills in CAE dynamic analysis of composites, it has resulted in new engagements in the Oil and Gas and Aerospace industries.”

CRC-ACS is one of only two CRCs to have received a 2013 CRC Star Award.  The award was presented to CRC-ACS for its key roles in engaging with SMEs and researchers in driving and delivering innovation.

 

Supacat Pty Ltd

Supacat is an innovative engineering company specialising in vehicles and complementary machinery.  It is a product developer with a broad customer base, providing products and services in the defence, renewables, marine, oil and gas, and mining sectors.  It also provides engineering services directly to a range of customers within Australia, Asia and Europe.  Its core capabilities include Computer Aided Engineering, mechanical and composite design and prototype development.  It also uses its strong project and engineering management capabilities to work with a global network of partners to offer solutions in a wide scope of areas.

 

CRC-ACS

CRC-ACS embeds Australian Composites Industry SMEs into global supply chains through collaboration in the aerospace, defence, and oil and gas industries.  It has a unique model for fostering Australian innovation and building opportunities for SME organisations, and through its subsidiary ACS Australia collaborates with Australian organisations to build international business. Working with CRC-ACS and ACS Australia, Australian SMEs have won design and advanced structure contracts in emerging aerospace markets.  Projects have also developed solutions, goods and services for projects as diverse as oil, gas and petrochemical industry fire protection and helicopter safety.

 

 

Since October 2011 four year 12 Blundell’s pupils have been working on a for real Engineering problem whilst carrying out their Engineering Education Scheme project. Under this scheme a school team of four is partnered with an Engineering Company. The company sets the pupils a design brief which they must then work on.

The pupils from Blundell’s were Gary Abdoll (Team Leader), Will Muirhead (Report Editor) Tom Golden (in charge of design) and Alex Holme (in charge of the presentation). They met Simon Turner and Nick Baker, Engineers from Supacat at the scheme launch at Plymouth University in October.  Supacat are a local company who design impressive world class high mobility vehicles and had been commissioned by the RNLI to design a vehicle to launch their lifeboats, a Launch & Recovery System. The boys were given the brief to design an engine bay handling system for this vehicle. The engine bay plus attachments (weighing approx 2.5 tonnes) would be safely removed and stored exposing the engine for maintenance.
Work on this project took place at school with several meetings with Simon Turner (from Supacat) and Peter Shrubsall (our EES Mentor). There were also visits to Supacat to see the vehicle itself and get an idea of the scale of the task in hand. A residential at Plymouth University in December helped as this gave the team 3 days to concentrate on this project away from their other school work.

A written report of all the designs and research was produced by the team and sent away over the Easter holidays for assessment. On Wednesday the 2nd May the Celebration and Assessment Day took place at Plymouth University. The team gave a 15 minute presentation to a panel of 7 engineers from various industries and were also questioned about their design at their display stand. They achieved their EES certificates for their project and the scheme will help them when applying for University next year as it is widely respected and shows that the pupils were willing to put in that extra effort above and beyond their AS exams. They have learned a huge amount about working in industry but also improved their team work, report writing, planning, timekeeping and presentation skills. I would like to thank all at the EDT for organising this brilliant scheme in the South West and Peter Shrubsall our EES Mentor. Last but not least thank you to Supacat for setting the team’s challenge and particularly Simon Turner for giving freely of his time, expertise and patience.

Jenni Olive
(Teacher Co-ordinator, Blundell’s EES Team)