Ocean Signal Triples Size of Factory Facilities to Meet High Demand

Ocean Signal has tripled the size of its business footprint to support accelerated growth plans, meet increasing production demands and strengthen the company’s capabilities to launch the next generation of communication and survival products to the market.

The safety at sea specialist has completed the move into a new 19,200 square foot factory at its Margate, UK, headquarters, significantly boosting production capacity as it steps up operations to escalate distribution volumes to a global network of dealers and partners.

In addition to investing in the expansion in factory space, Ocean Signal has almost doubled the number of company personnel in the past four years. A strong research and development team has been established to build on the department’s reputation for creating the most compact, user-friendly and technologically advanced devices available and launching further industry-leading innovations.

ACR Electronics brand Ocean Signal, now led by Managing Director James Hewitt, has reported impressive growth in the past 10 years, emerging as one of the world’s foremost companies in the survival and safety beacon sector. Its comprehensive product range has developed to include EPIRBs, PLBs, SARTs, AIS and MOB devices, electronic flares, VHF, VDR equipment and more. The company now operates alongside sister brand United Moulders Ltd (UML), lifejacket inflation systems and lights specialist, at the UK base.

Ocean Signal products are supplied to countries worldwide for commercial, fishing, recreational and professional users and are also endorsed by a number of high-profile sailors, rowers, surfers and powerboat racing teams. With prominent contracts with leading distributors and organisations, the latest product numbers reveal Ocean Signal has now produced more than 100,000 PLBs and more than 70,000 EPIRBs, and has shipped over 100,000 MOB devices.

Ocean Signal’s James Hewitt said: “It is testament to the strength of the company and its people, the proven reliability and effectiveness of our products, and the high profitability within the ACR family, that Ocean Signal continues to thrive, despite the harsh new environment and the challenges of the last 12 months. With this threefold increase in factory size, we are well positioned to continue building on our growth strategy and keep up with demand from our customers, while also developing ground-breaking safety products.

“The global integration of the ACR, Ocean Signal and UML businesses and the combination of our expertise and quality brands continues to deliver results, both in terms of sustained business success and, most importantly, for the benefit of our customers and to ultimately save more lives with our products. The latest development ensures Ocean Signal can stay at the forefront of engineering and manufacturing life-saving solutions for customers across the world.”

Established in 2008, Ocean Signal rapidly earned a reputation as an international brand trusted by users in the leisure, racing, commercial and offshore sectors with its rescueME and SafeSea ranges. The company was acquired in May 2015, continuing to prosper while operating as a unit of Florida-based ACR Electronics, Inc., a development which joined two of the most highly experienced electronic engineering teams in the marine communication industry.

ACR Electronics President John Nguyen said: “It is really exciting that Ocean Signal is now embarking on the next stage of its success story with the expansion of its factory facilities, just one of the steps we are taking within the ACR family to future-proof our business strategy for the years ahead. I am confident that the new investment will be a catalyst for continued growth and will result in more people accessing and benefiting from the remarkable Ocean Signal devices.”