British manufacturing has a specific meaning in marine safety equipment. It is not a marketing claim. It is a supply chain, a quality system, a physical location from which products are produced and dispatched, and a set of certifications that independent organisations renew year by year. For a procurement manager specifying fittings for a commercial vessel, those things are measurable. They are the difference between a supplier that can be verified and one that cannot.
Solar Solve Marine has manufactured SOLASOLV® anti-glare screens and ROLASOLV® specialist fabric roller blinds from the same South Shields facility since 1975. Over 50 years of continuous production, the company has supplied more than 200,000 Type Approved blinds and screens to more than 20,000 vessels across 108 countries. This article sets out what that record means in practice, and why it matters when specifying marine navigation bridge window fittings.
What 50 Years of UK Manufacturing Means in Practice
Solar Solve Marine began manufacturing specialist marine window screens in South Shields in the early years of its operation and has remained at the same UK manufacturing base for the entirety of its 50-year history. The South Shields facility is not a warehouse or distribution centre. It is the location where SOLASOLV® screens and ROLASOLV® blinds are manufactured, quality-checked, and dispatched to customers across the world.
The company’s quality management system has been in continuous operation since 1991. This is not a certification that was obtained and filed. It is a live operational system that is externally audited every year as part of the Type Approval renewal process. Each audit confirms that the manufacturing processes, materials, and product specifications that were assessed at the time of original approval are the same ones being used in current production.
Solar Solve exports 90 per cent of its turnover to customers across 108 countries and 6 continents. The product that leaves South Shields carries the same specification and certification as the product that was first submitted for Type Approval. That consistency is the direct result of maintaining manufacturing at a single location under a single quality system.
Why Country of Manufacture Matters to Procurement Teams
Three practical considerations make country of manufacture relevant to vessel procurement teams.
Traceability
A UK-manufactured product operating under ISO 9001 certification has a documented quality trail that connects the specification of the finished product to the materials, processes, and suppliers involved in its production. When a classification surveyor or port state control officer raises a question about a fitting, that documentation is available and can be provided. A product sourced through a distributor or import agent may not carry the same traceability back to its point of manufacture.
Lead Time Reliability
Solar Solve dispatches to 108 countries from a single facility in South Shields. The logistics process is defined and repeatable. For vessel operators and outfitters working to a maintenance or refit schedule, a supplier with a fixed manufacturing location and an established dispatch process provides more predictable lead times than a supply chain with multiple handoffs across different jurisdictions.
Accountability
A manufacturer with a fixed address and 50 years of operational history in one location is easier to hold accountable than a distributor or import agent operating at arm’s length from the product’s origin. Solar Solve Marine’s contact details, manufacturing address, and certification records are publicly available. The company has supplied the same product category from the same location for five decades. That continuity is itself a form of accountability.
“We have been manufacturing specialist marine anti-glare screens from South Shields since the mid-to-late 1980s, giving us nearly 40 years of marine manufacturing experience. During this time, we have supplied more vessels than any other manufacturer in this product category. Our four simultaneous Type Approvals are not something that happened by accident. They are the result of decades of commitment to building products that meet the highest independent standards set by the maritime industry. Solar Solve itself has a heritage dating back to 1975, representing over 50 years of company history.”
Martin Saunders, Managing Director, Solar Solve Marine
The Type Approval Record That UK Manufacturing Produced
SOLASOLV® is the only marine anti-glare screen in the world to hold simultaneous Type Approval from all four of the world’s leading classification societies. This is the product of 50 years of manufacturing discipline, continuous quality system operation, and annual independent audit. It did not happen by chance and it cannot be replicated by a manufacturer that entered the market more recently or that has not maintained the same standard of production consistency.
| Classification Society | Award Date | Significance |
| Lloyd’s Register | May 2001 | Recognised by flag states and operators across the widest range of international shipping routes |
| ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) | September 2001 | Required for vessels classed under the American Bureau of Shipping, covering a significant proportion of US-flagged and US-operated tonnage |
| DNV | July 2002 | One of the world’s largest classification societies; required for a substantial proportion of Norwegian-flagged and internationally classed tonnage |
| RINA (Registro Italiano Navale) | Current approval held | Required for vessels classed under RINA, covering Italian-flagged and internationally operated tonnage |
Holding all four approvals simultaneously means that SOLASOLV® screens can be specified for vessels operating under virtually any flag state or classification society without the need to verify approval compatibility. Full technical documentation and Type Approval certificates are available on the Solar Solve downloads page.
What the 285 Customer Commendations Say About Product Consistency
Solar Solve Marine has published more than 285 customer commendations from vessel operators, masters, and technical managers across 108 countries. The number is significant. A single commendation from one vessel at one point in time might reflect a good installation or a favourable operational period. 285 commendations from different vessel types, different operators, and different flag states over an extended period reflect something different: consistent product performance across the full range of conditions in which the screens are used.
The commendations span all major vessel categories that Solar Solve supplies, including passenger ferries, cruise ships, crude tankers, LNG carriers, offshore construction vessels, bulk carriers, platform supply vessels, and FPSOs. They reflect feedback from operators working in the Arabian Gulf, the South China Sea, the North Sea, the Arctic, and across major global shipping lanes. Consistent performance across that range is the product of consistent manufacturing, not variation in product specification.
For procurement teams evaluating suppliers, the commendation record provides independently sourced performance evidence that supplements the formal Type Approval documentation. For more detail on the vessel types and sectors Solar Solve supplies, see the Solar Solve marine sector page.
The Solar Solve Quality System — What ISO 9001 and Annual Type Approval Audit Mean
ISO 9001 quality management certification covers documented processes, supplier qualification, production control, and a framework for identifying and correcting non-conformances. It establishes that a manufacturer has and follows a defined quality system. Solar Solve Marine holds ISO 9001 certification and has maintained its quality system in continuous operation since 1991.
The annual external audit conducted as part of the Type Approval renewal process goes beyond what ISO 9001 alone requires. The audit is conducted by the classification society that issued the approval, and it verifies that the manufacturing process, materials, and product specifications used in current production match those assessed at the time of original approval. This is the mechanism by which Type Approval remains current rather than becoming a historical certification that bears no relationship to what is actually being produced.
For a procurement manager, this means that the product specification described in the Type Approval certificate is the product being shipped. The approval is not a snapshot from 2001 or 2002 that may or may not reflect current manufacturing practice. It is an annually verified confirmation that the standard has been maintained. Technical specifications for all current SOLASOLV® products are available on the technical information page.
Key Facts About Solar Solve Marine
| Fact | Detail |
| Founded | South Shields, UK, 1975 — 50 years of continuous operation |
| Manufacturing location | South Shields, UK — same facility for 50 years |
| Products | SOLASOLV® Type Approved anti-glare screens and ROLASOLV® specialist fabric roller blinds |
| Type Approvals held | Lloyd’s Register, DNV, ABS, and RINA simultaneously — the only marine anti-glare screen to hold all four |
| Units supplied | 200,000+ Type Approved blinds and screens dispatched from South Shields |
| Vessels supplied | 20,000+ vessels and specialist locations worldwide |
| Countries supplied | 108 countries across 6 continents |
| Customer commendations | 285+ published commendations from operators across multiple vessel types and flag states |
| Quality certification | ISO 9001; quality system in continuous operation since 1991, externally audited annually |
| Export proportion | 90% of turnover exported from the UK |
For further background on Solar Solve Marine’s history and capabilities, see the about Solar Solve page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does it matter that SOLASOLV® screens are manufactured in the UK?
UK manufacturing means a fixed, auditable production location with a defined supply chain, documented quality processes, and a logistics operation that has dispatched to 108 countries for 50 years. For procurement teams, it means traceability, accountability, and lead time reliability from a single source. The South Shields facility is the only location where SOLASOLV® screens are manufactured and dispatched.
How long has Solar Solve Marine been in operation?
Solar Solve Marine was founded in South Shields in 1975 and has been in continuous operation for 50 years. The company has remained at the same manufacturing location throughout its history and has never changed the fundamental nature of its product category. Over that period it has supplied more than 200,000 Type Approved blinds and screens to more than 20,000 vessels across 108 countries.
What does the annual Type Approval audit actually verify?
The annual audit conducted by the approving classification society verifies that the manufacturing processes, materials, and product specifications used in current production are the same as those assessed at the time of the original Type Approval. This is how the approval remains current rather than being a historical certification disconnected from current manufacturing practice. ISO 9001 certification covers the quality management framework; the annual Type Approval audit covers compliance with the specific standard assessed at the time of approval.
How can I access Solar Solve Marine’s Type Approval certificates and technical documentation?
Current Type Approval certificates, technical data sheets, and product specifications for SOLASOLV® screens are available from the Solar Solve downloads page at solasolv.com/downloads/. The certificates can be cross-referenced against the publicly accessible registers maintained by Lloyd’s Register, DNV, ABS, and RINA to verify their current status.
