Achievements of the Society of Maritime Industries
Last year we initiated topic specific overseas missions. In June a number of member companies were able to introduce innovations for Greek shipowners which could save them money in their operations. Held in Athens at the prestigious residence of the British Ambassador, the excellent attendance will lead to more of this type of event in future. The booming cruise ship market was the justification for a CMG Council mission to Genting Shipyard, MV Werften in Wismar, Germany, where the senior management team outlined their requirements to fulfil a full order book, which will prompt a further visit in 2020. A number of members also partici‐ pated in a Polish Port Infrastructure and Inland Navigation mission to Gdansk organised by the Department for International Trade.
SMI also continued to be the destination for a number of inward trade missions. The most significant of which was to host the Egyptian Minister for Transportation and his accompanying senior level delegation which included the Chairman of the Suez Canal Authority. A number of members were able to present their capabilities and left with offers to continue the discussions. Other countries hosted included Brazil, China and Indonesia. Furthermore, on the eve of Ocean Business, the UK government facilitated a UK‐USA roundtable for SMEs with the intention of increasing collaborative technology links and SMI provided the UK participants.
We have arranged a series of seminars on technical and business opportunity related subjects to keep our members and the wider industry fully informed. Many companies report that they gain valuable insight as a result of these meetings which are an extremely cost effective way to learn of new opportunities. SMI was asked by the National Shipbuilding Strategy Maritime Enterprise Working Group to arrange a workshop on opportunities for the supply chain supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Department for International Trade and Ministry of Defence at the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Coventry. The focus was on productivity improvements, manufacturing research and innovation and exports.
2019 was the year of London International Shipping Week and, as one of the supporting organisations and a member of the Steering Group, SMI facilitated and participated in a very full week which saw over 20,000 UK and international delegates. As the leading association for maritime technology companies, a large number of members were offered the opportunity to exhibit their innovation at a Technology Showcase on board RFA Lyme Bay which was moored at Greenwich.
Our web portal continues to generate a large volume of monthly traffic, particularly for our highly functional ‘Product Search’ section. Members benefit from being able to display their capabilities on a web portal which is updated every day and therefore maintains its visibility to search engines. The enhanced ‘Member Zone’ provides the SMI membership with exclusive information on markets, presentations from seminars and key news to assist in the running of their business.
Members have also been able to avail themselves of the services of our resident manager in Shanghai, whose valuable contacts can ensure that their products and services are channelled to the right
procurement personnel. A number of member companies have now benefited from this service in a variety of sectors in this important market.
Improving the Business Environment
SMI continues to provide administrative support to the Maritime Enterprise Working Group (MEWG) led by industry and academia and supported by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Ministry of Defence. The MEWG is one of the outcomes from the National Shipbuilding Strategy and is chaired by Peter French, former chairman of the SMI Board.
After a number of years in preparation, and thanks to the support of the Department for Transport, Babcock International Group and BMT, the UK’s first national maritime research centre, MarRI‐UK, was launched during London International Shipping Week by the Chairman of the Interim Strategy Board, John Howie MBE, a SMI Board member and Chief Executive of Babcock Marine and Technology. The centre brings together the leading universities, government and industry as a collaborative innovation vehicle for UK industry and academia to jointly tackle innovation and technology challenges. The SMI Chief Executive sits on the Interim Strategy Board.
SMI organise conference on the National Shipbuilding Strategy
The government has been very active on the maritime front. The first complete strategy for the maritime sector, Maritime 2050, was launched early in 2019. Administered by the Department for Transport (DfT), a comprehensive list of recommendations for the short, medium and long term have been identified to ensure the UK continues to be a global leader through to the second half of the century. To ensure the right focus is applied by all stakeholders, including government, industry and academia, DfT has formed a working group to identify which organisations can lead and collaborate on delivering the recommendations and SMI has agreed to undertake a number of the tasks in the areas of technology, security and resilience, and trade.
SMI is a leading member of Maritime UK, the umbrella organisation which brings together the UK's shipping, ports, services, engineering and leisure marine industries. Maritime UK’s remit is to drive growth by promoting the sector, influencing government and fostering collaboration. Through its membership of Maritime UK, SMI and its members participate in a number of its working groups. SMI’s Chief Executive is Chair of the Technology & Innovation Group and Vice‐Chair of the Policy Group.
Society of Maritime Industries Handbook & Members’ Directory 2020 11
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