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Engineer working on SMD ROV aluminium fabricated chassis

SMD

Challenge

We worked with one of the world’s leading manufacturers of remote intervention equipment, Soil Machine Dynamics Ltd (SMD) to help them scale up their business and meet increased production demand.

As the number one designer and manufacturer of work class and specialist subsea remotely operated vehicles (ROV) worldwide, SMD’s products serve a diverse range of industry sectors, including oil and gas, defence, telecoms and renewables.

Our relationship with SMD began with supplying a large number of loose, ancillary components for their ROV chassis. Due to our agile fabrication services, we were able to supply a fast turnaround of parts, which enabled us to meet both SMD’s production schedule and any additional demands.

When SMD’s business experienced rapid growth, volumes scaled up and the team began to explore the option of outsourcing longer-term production. Due to our strong relationship built on a foundation of trust, we were nominated as one of two key suppliers to produce SMD’s aluminium fabricated chassis.

Close up of aluminium welding on SMD ROV chassis from Universal Wolf Case Study
SMD fabricated aluminium ROV chassis

A Better, Smarter Solution

We worked in an open and collaborative way to make sure that we at Universal Wolf and the team at SMD were clear on the product build and requirements,

To ensure we delivered exactly what SMD needed, we set up a dedicated production area and implemented manufacturing jigs and fixtures to ensure repeatable product manufacture.

In order to produce the full ROV chassis framework, specific weld qualifications were required. To ensure we could deliver the highest standard of product, we arranged additional training for our team.

Impact

Our collaboration enabled SMD to scale their manufacture. The process from onboarding to the finished delivery of the product was smooth, on time and met all product specifications. Through a partnership approach built on commitment, communication and collaboration, we were able to ensure the quality of the ROV products lived up to strict subsea standards and helped to strengthen SMD’s market leading reputation.

Case study: SMD ROV aluminium fabricated chassis in production