Sales to the EU have increased significantly for South Shields based Solar Solve Marine for some reason, in spite of all the BREXIT hoo-ha. However, the Far East continues to be the area of the world where the vast majority of new ships and other types of sea-going vessels are built.
It’s just over 5,500 miles from Tyneside to Busan, Osaka and Shanghai but they have been at the hub of global ship construction for the last quarter century and consequently continue to be the destinations for over 50% of Solar Solve Marine’s Type Approved, brand leading products, every month. Whilst they are far away, they are not too far for the well-established business that has built up an enviable reputation in Korea, Japan and China as one of the very best UK companies to do business with.
At the start of January the team at Solar Solve were working on an order for 58 SOLASAFE screens. They were destined for an 85,000 dwt Logistical Support Vessel for the Norwegian Navy that is being built at the Daewoo shipyard in Busan, South Korea. It will be just one of a number of ships being built in Korea that will eventually be delivered to the owners with SOLASAFE screens at the Navigation Bridge windows. Screens that are Type Approved by Lloyds, ABS and DNV-GL and were manufactured in South Shields during January. The screens, acting as a navigation safety aid, will protect the crew from heat, glare and uv light from the sun.
Some of the other orders produced in January will be heading in the same direction but to destinations in Japan and China. John Lightfoot, chairman of Solar Solve explains, “The Christmas period was relatively quiet but it did give us the opportunity to complete a significant order from the EU, when a Spanish customer wanted 116 SOLASAFE screens quickly and we were more than happy to oblige.”
“We were also working with our Far East distributors over the holidays as they tend not to celebrate Christmas or close for any breaks over the period. All of them have been representing Solar Solve for most of the last 25 years or more and together we have built up the friendships so important and necessary for successful trading partnerships in that part of the world.”
