Marine firm sets a course for new global markets

Nov 11 2009 by Andrew Mernin, The Journal

A MARINE engineering firm is preparing to sail into a number of new international markets with its technology which will help clean up the high seas.

Newcastle-based Royston has developed a system which uses GPS and an online management system to enable large shipping firms to reduce fuel usage and engine upkeep costs.

The fuel and engine monitoring system, engine i, has taken two years to bring to market and is a direct reaction to the growing demand for greener marine technology amid tougher environmental legislation in the industry.

The product has already received interest from the Middle East and Europe and will be rolled out globally if it proves an initial success.

It will be manufactured at the firm’s Walker Riverside site and will help create a handful of new jobs to add to its current 80-strong global workforce.

The £9m-a-year business has enjoyed ongoing growth despite the economic downturn of the past two years and expects its turnover to go beyond the £15m mark in the next three to five years.

Meanwhile it will follow the launch of engine i up with more environmentally-friendly technology to meet the increasingly green demands of its clients.

Managing director Lawrence Brown said: “There are increasing regulations at the moment to encourage companies to improve their environmental footprint and so that creates new opportunities for us to support our customers.

“We have enquiries world wide for the product and we hope it becomes more than just a UK-based product.”

Engine i uses sensors to monitor the performance and status of ships’ engines, allowing potential problems to be identified and corrected before they became a serious issue.

It also helps to reduce the carbon footprint of each journey made through data displayed on a PC panel on the ship’s bridge allowing crews to find the best balance between speed and fuel economy. Royston started life more than 30 years ago and today supplies and services a number of large blue-chip clients.

It’s growth in recent years has been support by six-figure funding from the venture capital arm of North East investment group NEL Fund Managers.

Nick Edgar, investment executive at NEL Capital, said: “The engine i system offers huge potential for both Royston and its customers, and is yet another example of North East innovation .”