Ocean Signal Expands Production Space

Communication and safety at sea specialists, Ocean Signal, has expanded its premises at its Margate headquarters. The extension of the production space and research and development facilities is to meet increased global demand for the company’s established product range and to prepare for the imminent production and distribution of further groundbreaking products.

The addition of the new space increases the production area by a significant margin of 40% at the impressive Ocean Signal base and was driven by rises in output levels for its rescueME PLB1 and SafeSea range, along with the continued growth of the company’s worldwide network of distributors and dealers.

Ocean Signal said the development of the manufacturing area strengthens its position as a developer and supplier of products in the leisure and commercial areas of the communication and safety sector. The company is now supplying its products to more than 40 countries and will be launching new products later this year to add to its growing portfolio.

According to Ocean Signal, the research and development-based company already provides its experienced engineering team, led by director Simon Nolan, with exceptional facilities at one of the best marine communication research and development bases in Europe, with an RF Anechoic testing chamber a key component in an array of specialized equipment.

Alan Wrigley, Managing Director of Ocean Signal, said, “The expansion of our facilities is necessary to meet our production demands, packaging requirements and, crucially, to improve our research and development capabilities which are such important aspects of the ethos of Ocean Signal . . . As we continue to expand our network of distributors, we also need the corresponding capabilities here to meet the newly-created demand.”

Wrigley continued, “The opportunity to take over more of the premises enables us to retain our entire operation in the U.K., which is also very important to us. We can manage the business from here with a significant turnover while keeping direct control and managing quality. We feel our products are better suited for manufacture in the U.K. with many of the key components sourced in the country and providing the flexibility to produce variants of products for different countries as required. We benefit greatly from possessing a design department of such high quality, which means we can do most tasks in house, without the need for travelling to a remote facility and without the cost of hiring.”