SMS Group relocates to Port of Southampton

The SMS Group is relocating its Southampton headquarters as part of a longer-term plan to ensure both sustainability and commercial longevity, it says.

The business will become the only ship repairer based within the Port of Southampton.

The business will move to Western Avenue, within ABP Southampton’s footprint adjacent the King George V drydock.

The move represents a strategic decision to move the business closer to its core customer base, and at the same time improve its geographical location. SMS Southampton is headed up by Ben Rowe and Dave Chaffers.

“Since the acquisition of 2017 we deliberately, and decisively, made the decision to retain the Western Avenue site within our Estates Portfolio to ensure that when the time came, we were best placed to capitalise on the benefits of this historically proven footprint,” says Ben Rowe, general manager.

“I started my career on the footprint as an apprentice for Testbank Ship Repair. Up until 2005, the site was A&P’s home – perfectly adjacent to the 366m King George V dry dock. The site is great, the location perfect and the move long overdue.”

“We’ve taken this decision now due to three very credible reasons,” says Dave Chaffers, general manager. “One, the time is right, as a group, and as a business unit, we’re trading profitably and ahead of budget. Two, the site is perfect – it’s within the port, adjacent to a main transit route, easily accessed from the M271; it’s close to all the port’s agents and is historically proven to be good home for ship repairers.

“And three, it coincides nicely with the planned ‘change of purpose’ at Ocean Quay; they’ll be undertaking further works of non-marine restoration which is contrary the modern profile of SMS and that of our customers’ requirements.”

The SMS Group will be investing in both the fabrication workshop and the new mechanical workshop.

The site will benefit from new signage and further investment in the offices.