First 300HP diesel outboard production ready

12th February 2020, OXE Diesel UK & Ireland distributor, Proteum, is announcing at Skipper Expo it is taking orders for the new OXE Diesel 300, which starts production in May 2020 and becomes the first 300HP diesel outboard available to UK and Ireland commercial marine users.　 OXE is the only　range of high performance diesel　outboards in production and in service.　　　

Proteum will be providing demos　later in the year and will be helping customers to calculate potential cost savings for their user profile with Proteum’s Total Cost of Ownership information tool at the show.

OXE 300 also opens up the military market as it delivers the high power to weight ratio demanded by military operators, who require a viable alternative to petrol to comply with NATO’s single fuel policy which is driving the transition from petrol to diesel.　　

OXE 300　continues the fuel efficient nature of the OXE Diesel range,　consuming some 40% less fuel than a modern petrol outboard.　 It meets the latest emission standards and reduces carbon dioxide by more than 35%, carbon monoxide by more than 99% and combined hydrocarbons and NOx by more than 70%, compared to petrol outboard standards (EPA-Tier 3, RCD SI-Outboard and CARB 3 star).　

The OXE design has matured to achieve the highest levels of reliability and robustness since the first prototype was displayed six years ago at HSBO Gothenburg by manufacturer Cimco Marine AB. The development of the 300HP version of OXE draws on the operative feedback from the 200 plus OXE Diesels in service. The range includes 125HP, 150HP, 175HP, 200HP and 300HP options to meet different user specifications.　

Neil Taylor, Head of Sales, Proteum, says,“The　OXE 300 sets　the benchmark for 300hp outboards　offering　the best possible performance and economic advantages whilst complying with the most stringent environmental rules and regulations. For the commercial and military operator OXE 300 delivers endurance, reliability, power and control”.

The OXE Diesel is a cost effective alternative to petrol in total cost of ownership, benefitting from lower fuel costs, higher working efficiency, lower maintenance and ease of sourcing compared to petrol. Diesel’s　lower volatility also makes it a safer option than a petrol alternative.　　　

Proteum is showing OXE Diesel on Stand 70 at Irish Skipper Expo in Limerick, 13-14　March 2020.

 

Nick Ames CEO SC Group is delighted to announce the appointment of Phil Applegarth as a Director of Supacat Limited.

“Phil has been with the business since 2009, after completing over 23-years in the Army. Phil has filled a number of roles in his time at Supacat, all of them within the defence vehicles business stream. He has a strong network of colleagues within the Ministry of Defence and in overseas Defence Ministries as well a good relationship with the Tier 1 industry partners within defence.”

Phil is delighted with his new appointment, and shares part of his history with us:

“I joined Supacat in July 2009 as the Support Operations Manager and on promotion to Head of Customer support in 2011, I made some sweeping changes to maximise long-term business opportunities and create a solid foundation to grow the organisation.  For the last five-years, I have been responsible for looking after the global Supacat defence business stream within SC Group with the exception of Asia-Pacific.

My team of project managers and I are responsible for delivering all aspects of new programmes and in-service support across the globe in which we operate. This includes Spares, Repairs, Field Service Support, Training, Upgrades and Improvements and Post Design Services to meet the customer’s needs.  I will continue to focus on extending the global SF family and developing new capabilities on existing platforms and delivering exciting new programmes.

Prior to joining Supacat, I completed over 23-years in the Army as a proud Para Commando Loggie.  Advice was seldom listened to and even after being warned never to volunteer; I always had my hand in the air for anything mad, bad or dangerous!  My considerable experience of vehicle based mobility operations enables me to intimately understand and credibly advise the needs of our customers.  In my remaining spare time, I am a Reserve RIFLES Officer offering years of mobility and operational experience into specialist mission units within Joint Force Command (JFC).

I am married to Jo who also works at SC Group as the Export Compliance Officer, who patiently stays at home.  Jo while at home looks after her horses, chickens, dogs and my sheep and Highland cows, while uncomplainingly waiting for my return!

The team at SC Group Ltd would like to wish Phil every success in his new role.

Blackhill Engineering, the heavy engineering division of SC Group, has recently been certified to the newly published management systems of occupational health and safety, ISO 45001. The standard is significant for the increasingly large contracts Blackhill has been securing from major companies in the nuclear and construction industries.

“It was a real achievement for the business and has helped keep our people and facilities in a safe environment. The certification of our systems has formalised the hard work and diligence of all our people in the business and helps continue the culture of safety and responsibility we aim for”, said Dan Baker, Business Development Manager, Blackhill Engineering.

Blackhill has also introduced a rigorous programme of continuous improvement throughout the business and the next target is certification on the company’s Environmental Management System, ISO14001, which is planned to be audited for certification later in 2019.

Since becoming part of SC Group five years ago Blackhill has benefitted from significant investment in facilities, people and processes. It has expanded its markets into nuclear new build and decommissioning, civil engineering & construction, space & telecommunications, marine & offshore, oil & gas, renewables and automotive from its origins in quarrying and mineral processing.

Blackhill Engineering is exhibiting on stand F155 at the Southern Manufacturing show in Farnborough, UK from 5-7 February 2019.

Supacat, part of SC Group, has been supporting Rheinmetall with a wide range of engineering services on vehicle programmes including the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank Life Extension Programme (Assessment Phase), the company announced at DVD 2018.

Supacat has been a preferred supplier of engineering services to Rheinmetall on the Challenger 2 LEP, which included Supacat fabricating a Human Factors demonstration asset. The two companies have worked together before, with Supacat supporting Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) on a number of programmes and providing specialist staff placements working alongside Rheinmetall Landsysteme (RLS) in Germany.

Thomas Zierke, Vice President Programmes at Rheinmetall Landsysteme, said, “Supacat provides Rheinmetall with a range of excellent support services including supply chain management, project management and engineering design and analysis.  Supacat’s experience and knowledge is renowned, and having its full engineering capability available for us to draw on, gives Rheinmetall the agility to apply additional specialist resources quickly”.

Nick Ames, CEO of SC Group, said, “Supacat is experienced in delivering fully-engineered, integrated and battle-ready vehicle systems to the UK MoD, so there is no doubt that we can add significant value.  SC Group’s long-term strategy for Supacat is to build its engineering services to support successful defence primes, in parallel with its core OEM vehicle business.  Our relationship with Rheinmetall is therefore a highly significant development for us and one which we hope will create future opportunities on programmes such as the British Army’s MIV (Mechanised Infantry Vehicle)”.

UK & Ireland distributor Proteum, part of SC Group, is announcing the availability of production OXE Diesel engines in stock to meet customer demand at the consecutive Aquaculture UK and Skipper Expo International shows later this month. OXE is the first diesel outboard in the 150-300hp class to be fully approved for commercial use.

Since the first pre-production OXE Diesel units entered service in 2016 following trials with launch customer, Marine Harvest, the engine design has been enhanced based on customer feedback from operators in applications including commercial fishing, ferry, cruise ship launch craft and border protection.

Inverness based Caley Marina has become a service partner to Southampton based Proteum to support OXE into service in Scotland and is currently operating an OXE powered workboat on Loch Ness for product familiarisation and training.

Caley Marine Director, Jamie Hogan said, “As the first high power diesel outboard, OXE is an exciting new product for Caley’s customers in Scotland’s aquaculture and fishing community”.

OXE Diesel offers commercial marine operators the range and performance they require and the benefits of diesel’s lower maintenance, longer service life, lower fuel consumption and lower volatility for safe storage on board and on land.

Proteum, which provides marine engineering and support services, is also UK & Ireland distributor for Moteurs Baudouin and is showcasing the latest addition to Baudouin’s range of mechanical inboard engines, the 600-750 hp M33.2 available in six and twelve cylinder versions. Proteum is also displaying the 130hp four cylinder W 105M, which is proven in service as a generator, propulsion and auxiliary engine in fishing, small ferry, workboat and other commercial marine applications.

This year Baudouin is celebrating a 100 year heritage as a dedicated marine engine designer and stated its commitment to future development and production of mechanical engines to meet the needs of fishing skippers and customers operating in remote regions.

Proteum is also highlighting the availability of Baudouin engines which are built to an annual forecast, as opposed to an individual order, enabling distributors to maintain stock and deliver a new engine within tight schedules.

Visit Proteum on Stand 43 at Aquaculture UK, Aviemore, 23-24 May and on Stand 135 at Skipper Expo International, Aberdeen, 25-26 May.

 

The Exeter based heavy engineering subcontractor has a unique 50 tonne lifting capability in the South West of England, which helped secure the contract. This is the company’s largest ever project in terms of tonnage involving over 650 tonnes of steel. Blackhill fabricated the 30 steel caps required for the piles supporting the top of the jetty and the 48 steel bridge beams spanning the piles, some measuring up to 14 metres long.

The temporary jetty, which will extend 500m into the Bristol Channel, is designed to shift freight movement of cement, sand and aggregates away from local roads to more sustainable sea transportation. Some 80 per cent of the aggregates needed to build Hinkley Point C will be delivered to site via the jetty.

Nigel Cann, Hinkley Point C Programme and Construction Delivery Director, said: “The jetty will allow us to bring significant volumes of construction materials to the site by sea as part of our transport strategy of minimising traffic on local roads. The temporary jetty is a vital part of that plan as every shipload will take the equivalent of 250 lorry-loads off the local road network”.

“We’re also pleased that a local Devon company is part of the team of south west firms helping to deliver a vital part of the UK’s infrastructure.”

Nick Ames, Chief Executive of SC Group said: “This project has been a major success for Blackhill Engineering, which has performed superbly in delivering the project. Blackhill is ideally placed in terms of its heavy engineering capacity and location to provide the fabrication services required by HPC’s local supply chain and other major contractors in the nuclear and energy sector. I have also been delighted that SC Innovation, another of our Group companies, has been able to bring its skills to the fore here, with the provision of Engineering Design and Project Management Support.”

The contract represents a further breakthrough into the nuclear sector for Blackhill, which has also completed its first contract with Magnox to manufacture equipment to support nuclear decommissioning work at their Winfrith site in Dorset.

Export success for world beating special forces vehicles – made in Devon

One of Britain’s few military vehicle designers and manufacturers, Supacat’s special forces vehicles have a reputation for being among the best in the world.  The company’s recent export success has earned it the UK’s most prestigious business award.  A large order from Australia followed by contracts from Norway and New Zealand for its Special Forces HMT Extenda vehicle grew the company’s overseas earnings from £2.5m to over £32m over the last three years.  The vehicle is one of Supacat’s family of military high mobility and protected vehicles, which include the acclaimed `Jackal` and `Coyote` operated by the UK Armed Forces.

“It’s a huge honour to celebrate this award with all our staff, distinguished guests from local government, our customers, supply chain and professional services providers.  The long cycle involved in developing our products means we’re here because of the hard work started 30 years ago by our founder, Nick Jones, and his team; and the dedication of our current staff will no doubt gain similar recognition in the future”, said Nick Ames.

Privately owned, Supacat, part of SC Group, has been trading for over 30 years in the heart of Devon.  Over the last decade has grown its core defence vehicle business and expanded its engineering services into the nuclear, energy and marine sectors.  With offices in the UK and Australia, Supacat and the wider SC Group employ over 200 people and have exported products and services all over the globe.

Please click on images below to enlarge.

 

The full production OXE Diesel 200hp high performance outboard diesel engine makes its defence show debut at DSEi demonstrated by UK & Ireland distributor, Proteum Ltd.  The OXE Diesel engine will be powering a JBT Marine 7.8m Ballistic Rigid Inflatable Boat (RIB) to showcase OXE’s horsepower, range and extreme environment performance for military and security operations.

Since Proteum launched OXE Diesel into the defence market at DSEi 2015 as a pre-production unit, OXE has entered service worldwide in a variety of applications and production is accelerating to meet growing demand.  Future power options from 100hp to 400hp are planned by OXE manufacturer, CIMCO Marine, which will offer further applications.

OXE runs on NATO F75/76 fuels and all other standard EN 590 diesel fuels, providing military operators with a viable diesel outboard as NATO’s single fuel policy to improve safety and interoperability continues to drive the transition away from petrol to diesel.

“OXE is fast establishing itself as the credible production diesel outboard of this horsepower available to military and security operators”, said Jeremy Paul, General Manager of Proteum, a SC Group company, which provides sales, support, spares, maintenance and training for marine products.