our approach to design and manufacturing is...

Slightly different...

Sea-cubed has been founded on the belief that the composites industry has some learning to do in how to treat its customers as long-term partners.

“The most important thing is that customers have a positive and profitable experience from choosing composite materials for their projects…..only that way will the use of these fantastic materials grow in the way it should.” Gilly Fox, MD.

Accordingly, we approach the structure, design and manufacture of grp and fiberglass products slightly differently to our competitors. For example:

• we will share our efficiency gains with you and your customers
• we rarely charge for tooling!...sounds mad?... click here to read why
• if composite materials are not right for your project, we will tell you!... read more
• we are happy to disclose design and manufacturing details before contracts are signed!

Composite materials bring enormous flexibility to any project in terms of their low maintenance, durability, potential for complex shapes – often bridging the gap between sculpture and structure – the variety of finishes and the strength/weight ratios possible.

…flexibility

However, these advantages bring with them a few key differences from traditional materials:

…there is a vast range of resin/reinforcement matrices to choose from
…the material itself is manufactured as part of the production/assembly process
…small changes in materials often lead to large changes in production processes

…so a structured project management approach is required.
 

Clients’ experience of these materials also varies...

Enquiries range from two extremes...

We make sure our customers benefit from the advantages of composite materials regardless of their expertise. We do this by adopting a flexible approach to the design and specification of projects to best meet the needs of each client and the interests of each project.

...but structured approach

To help us with this we have developed a unique, structured, 7-point plan that identifies the whole design spiral and pinpoints exactly where each potential client is.

This plan encompasses the design, engineering, scheduling, costing and design-for-production processes from the initial ‘idea’ stage through to the creation of detailed production information, manufacturing, quality control and customer acceptance.

It recognises that the relationship between material choice and manufacturing process is much greater in composites than for other materials. Thus materials’ selection reviews are incorporated into the process at key points using rigorous assessment tools developed by Sea-cubed. Unusually for our industry, if we find that composites are not the right choice for your project, we’ll tell you so!

Sound business strategy…

Our business strategy is to focus on the ‘long game’ by sharing with you, the customer, the gains we achieve through innovation, value-engineering and learning curves. This enthusiasm extends to partnering arrangements, fixed profit schemes and open-book approaches where appropriate.

What this means is that our principal business goal is the continued growth and success of your business, not just our own.

Manufacturing products provides our principal income stream. However, we occasionally propose a small charge for design or consultancy services. This then gives you the opportunity to obtain prices from our competitors once designs and specifications are complete, rather than ‘tying’ you in to us at a very early stage. This is something we encourage as we have confidence in our own competitiveness through efficiency and low overheads.

…and there’s another plus

If we win manufacturing work for products that we have previously charged design fees for, these are reimbursed as part of the manufacturing contract!