SMS Group reaps benefits from ‘ride-on squads’

After relocating its Southampton base eight weeks ago, the SMS Group reports that it’s been busy supporting a dozen cruise vessels in one month.

The business has moved within ABP Southampton’s footprint adjacent to the King George V drydock. The company has created ‘ride-on squads’ across its engineering and out-fit branches to enable it to capitalise on its position in Southampton.

These squads are teams of employees from its engineering and refurbishment departments who enter a ship at the same time, carry out their work within a certain amount of time, and then leave the vessel all at the same time.

Dan Lockyer, head of interiors, says the ride-on squads have been a big win. “They’re lower revenue but allow our customers to make the most of both their budgets and capacity onboard.”

“Short, sharp port calls have allowed us to demob and remob quickly, and efficiently, to the benefit of all our cruise customers, and our focus on longer-term relationships and the ‘lifetime’ value of customers ensures that we price correctly and deliver the very best service,” says Nicholas Warren, commercial director.

The company’s short-term future is now focussed on smaller packages of work, but it’s looking forward to a meaningful recovery, when it says it hopes, ‘both ‘universal testing’ and vaccines will ensure the industry recovers quickly’.

It’s now investing in the fabrication workshop and the new mechanical workshop. Additional capacity will be added to the footprint for the fit out and marine refurbishment team, and it’s presumed the location will improve the company’s quayside presence and its mobility with the city’s port infrastructure.