SCI Hires New Sales Head, Opens 12th Office

Survival Craft Inspectorate (SCI), a global provider of emergency marine evacuation systems, has made a new appointment and announced the opening of its 12th office.

Jos Lems, who has more than 25 years’ experience in the maritime sector, has joined Survival Craft Inspectorate as Head of Global Sales. He will also lead the opening of the company’s new operation in Rotterdam, Holland.

Survival Craft Inspectorate is on track to increase turnover for its year-end in 2014 to £30 million – a projected increase of 35% on its May 2013 figure. The Rotterdam office is targeting turnover of £1 million by the end of its first year.

Jos Lems said, “We’re looking to better integrate our operations ensuring greater awareness of our capabilities, products, services and geographic reach in the global market. There is also the scope to offer clients new services close to our skillset while delivering projects on offshore installations and vessels.

Highlighting potential areas for company growth, Lems added, “We would not rule out expanding through acquisitions or by securing like-mind partnerships with companies that share the same values for quality and service as Survival Craft Inspectorate. “As a shipping hub, Rotterdam will offer a number of opportunities, but its links to other parts of the world will also be beneficial for the continued growth of Survival Craft Inspectorate.”

Survival Craft Inspectorate’s headquarters and manufacturing base is at Findon, just outside Aberdeen. SCI also has operations in Great Yarmouth, Florida and Houston in the United States, Canada, Norway, Singapore, Malaysia and Western Australia. The company, which has 170 staff, opened a new operation in Doha, Qatar, in the summer of 2012.

Jos joins Survival Craft Inspectorate after completing a project for Rotterdam-based Caru Containers to integrate two acquired companies. Prior to that he was with a global training provider where one of his key roles was to set up new operations. Up to 10 engineering jobs are to be created in the new Rotterdam office in the next six months.

The launch of a new office follows on from the opening of the Survival Craft Inspectorate Training Academy in July, 2013. The company invested more than £500,000 to develop a site at Stonehaven Harbour previously occupied by the Maritime Rescue Institute (MRI). It will be the focal point for a range of maritime courses.

The SCI Marine Training Academy is expected to annually host around 5,000 students seeking to enhance their skills across a diverse range of marine and safety related disciplines. The MRI base was forced to close its doors in February this year following the severe storms that hit the area, and SCI was delighted to have acquired the site – and to be honoring its maritime past. A davit has been installed on the quayside for practical coxswain training sessions. Courses available at the academy will include fast rescue craft coxswain, daughter craft coxswain, twin fall lifeboat coxswain and technical training aligned with SCI products.

Survival Craft Inspectorate, which has a Queen’s Award for Enterprise, are experts in the manufacture, inspection, testing and servicing of lifeboats, fast rescue craft, release mechanisms, winches and davits to international standards for the global merchant shipping, cruise and oil and gas sectors.

The company’s patent-protected RocLoc hook system, combined with the Safelaunch lifeboat release system have strengthened its place in the market ahead of new safety regulations coming into force in 2014.