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Vosper Thornycroft 2002
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Vosper Thornycroft is a well-established shipbuilding company that is rapidly diversifying into both military and civil support services. Its 2001 sales were £379m, with military sales making up around 75% of the total. Its customers have included Sri Lanka, Kenya, Egypt and several Middle East countries.
Introduction
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Vosper Thornycroft is best known as a builder of warships for both the UK and overseas markets. Shipbuilding is still one of Vosper Thornycroft's three core businesses though half of total turnover is now accounted for by the Support Services business. The third business is Marine Products which, like Support Services, provides for both civil and military markets. As at March 2001, Vosper Thornycroft's order book stood at £1.1 billion. Much of this consists of long term 'contractorised' military support contracts to the MoD (Jane's Defence Weekly 25.10.00).
The forerunners of Vosper Thornycroft have been building warships since the 19 th century. Vosper and Thornycroft merged in 1966 and since then the company has sold vessels to Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Kenya, Nigeria, Sweden, Italy, Holland, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, the Bahamas, Guyana, Venezuela, and Brazil (Stobbart-Hook, Warships of the World, 1994). Recent export contracts have included deals with Greece, Qatar, Oman, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia.
Vosper Thornycroft vessels vary in scale from destroyers and frigates to inshore patrol craft, though they are renowned for their corvettes, fast attack craft and minehunters.
Shipbuilding recently received a boost through involvement in the UK Type 45 Anti-Air Warfare Destroyer rogramme. BAE Systems and Vosper Thornycroft were contracted by the UK Navy to produce six Type 45 Destroyers, with an order for six more likely to follow. Initially the UK MoD had ordered two Type 45s from BAE Systems and one from Vosper Thornycroft. They were then to compete for further batches of three ships, to make up the full requirement. However, in early 2001, BAES made an unsolicited bid to build all 12 ships, leading to an outry in both government and industry. Negotiations followed and the resulting deal left Vosper Thornycroft producing the modular bow section, funnel and masts for each craft (Defense News 25 February-3 March 2002).
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YEAR | NUMBER OF
EMPOYEES | TOTAL SALES
| ARMS SALES
| WORLD ARMS
RANK | ARMS SALES AS
% OF TOTAL |
2000 | | 557 | 413 | 57 | 74 |
1999 | 3,880 | 443 | 290 | 89 | 65 |
1998 | 3,470 | 399 | 250 | 93 | 63 |
1997 | | | 230 | >100 | |
1996 | 2,950 | 376 | 300 | 96 | 80 |
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Products
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Armament comprises 8 surface-to-surface missiles, a surface-to-air missile launcher, a 76mm/62 Super Rapid gun (range 16km) and two 20mm guns (Jane's Defence Weekly 2.4.97, www.naval-technology.com).
A range of products Vosper Thornycroft describes as enabling nations to fulfil their obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. They include the EEZ Management Vessel. (www.vosperthornycroft.co.uk)
56m long and 380 tonnes. Armed with eight anti-ship missiles, a six cell launcher for air-defence missiles, a rapid gun, a 30mm close-in weapon system and two 12.7mm machine guns (www.naval-technology.com).
Is the first hovercraft designed (by ABS Hovercraft) specifically for military use. It can carry 56 troops, or two landrovers and 20 troops, is armed with a 20mm cannon and can be fitted with missiles (Hot Spring July 98).
Main armament is a 30mm gun, with a range of up to 10km. Equipped with two underwater Remote Control Mine Disposal Vehicles and two decoy launchers (www.naval-technology.com).
62m long, weapons suite comprises of 73mm gun, two 30mm guns, surface-to-surface missiles, and a close range air defence system (Jane's Defence Weekly 29.9.00).
Experimental warship with large stabilisers, enabling the helicopter pad to be placed nearer the centre of the ship (Financial Times 14.5.98)
Its primary weapon system is PAAMS (Principal Anti-Aircraft Missile System) including Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles (www.naval-technology.com). It will also be able to accommodate cruise missiles.
Vosper Thornycroft is the largest civilian provider of training to the British Army and also provides training facilities and equipment training to armies worldwide.
This role is located in the Integrated Logistics Division and provides a wide range of support services for both ships and small craft.
VT Aerospace employs 2000 staff at over 25 locations world-wide. It provides flying training, aircraft and base support and technical services. Amongst its work is the maintenance and support of military training aircraft in Oman and Kuwait.
Civil Support is provided for central government, local government and publicly funded organisations. The two main operating areas are Education Services and Technical Services.
- VT Training, in partnership with many further education colleges, is the second largest private sector provider of vocational work based training in the UK.
- VT Education Services was set up in response to government intitiatives designed to increase the involvement of the private sector in education. Services include school inspections, training and consultancy, facilities mangement, financial, procurement, personnel, payroll andstaffing.
- Careers Management involves the provision of career guidance services to 19 Local Education Authorities. Vosper Thronycroft's Careers Management is also heavily involved in a number of Middle Eastern countries.
- Fire Training Services
- Engineering & Logistics Services - This business concentrates on producing and maintaining specialist systems for security agencies. These cover satellite communications, IT networks, surveillance vehicles and electronic warfare vehicles.(www.vosperthornycroft.co.uk)
Marine Products Group is focused on product based activities in electronic controls and marine equipment which are independent of the Company winning warship contracts - a key element in VT's strategy of broadening its base into technically or market related activities.' (www.vosperthornycroft.co.uk)
Shipbuilding Deals
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2001 Vosper Thornycroft's Saudi Support Team are to deliver a Remote Controlled Mine Detection Sonar (RCMDS) vehicle to the Saudi Navy as part of support for her Al Jawf class minehunters. Orders for further vehicles are expected (Vosper Thornycroft Focus July 2001).
2000 Greece ordered three Super Vita fast attack craft in a £200 million deal (Jane's Defence Weekly, 25.10.00). Vosper Thornycroft is to provide design, equipment and construction and logistic support for the ships to be built in Greece by Elefsis Shipyards (Financial Times 8-9.1.00).
1998 The Sri Lankan Navy ordered a M10 medium lift military hovercraft from ABS Hovercraft, to be built by Vosper Thornycroft. Sri Lanka was, and is still, in the throes of an internal conflict that is estimated to have killed 50,000 people.
1998 Vosper Thornycroft received a £10m order to provide equipment to refit a roll-on/roll-off ship for the US Military Sealift Command (The Engineer 3.4.98).
1996 The second of two Qahir class corvettes was delivered to the Royal Navy of Oman. 'The two ships are the most powerful surface combatants in RNO service' (Jane's Defence Weekly 2.4.97).
1994 Three Sandown/ Al Jawf class minehunters for the Saudi Navy were completed in September 1994 (Sunday Times 12.5.96).
1992 Four Barzan class fast attack craft were ordered for the Qatar Emini Navy. The first two were delivered in 1996, and the second two in 1998 (Jane's Defence Weekly 6.5.98).
Two 56m Nyayo-class missile armed fast attack craft for the Kenyan navy (Defence, Nov 1989, www.naval-technology.com).
Six 52m Ramadan fast attack craft ordered along with a contract to refurbish and arm six 'Komar' hulls (Defence November 1989).
- Contracts have been signed for six Type 45 Destroyers(see above). Work is due to start in 2003.
- Three offshore patrol vessels are being built for the Royal Navy. Construction started in 2001, with completion due in 2003 (Jane's Defence Weekly 16.5.01).
- Two 90 metre maritime survey vessels are under construction for the MoD (www.vosperthornycroft.co.uk)
- The last of 12 Sandown Class Minehunters was handed over in November 2001 (www.vosperthornycroft.co.uk).
- The first four MK5 Landing Craft Vehicle Personnel were delivered to the Royal Navy in December 1997 (Jane's International Defence Review February 1998).
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Recent Acquisitions
The American company, whose headquarters are in Atlanta, was bought for $31 million in 2001 (Defense News 19-25.11.01). Griffin is a leading provider of base operations and maintenance to the US Department of Defense (www.vosperthornycroft.co.uk).
Merlin is a leading global communications facilities management company providing core communications facilities, management and technical support services in broadcast, defence and space telecommunications. Vosper Thornycroft bought the company for £95 million. Merlin retains contracts with the BBC, providing the World Service's short and medium wave transmitters (The Guardian, 15.11.01). Merlin has other transmission contracts in US and Canada, and a contract for a new transmitter in Oman (Independent 13.11.01).
One of the largest OFSTED contractors in the UK, Westminster Educational Consultants was acquired by Vosper Thornycroft for £5 million (Times Educational Supplement, 1.9.01).
Acquired in 2001, RTK marine specialises in the production of small work boats for military and commercial customers. Its most popular products include raiding craft and combat support boats (Vosper Thornycroft Focus, Issue 30, July 2001).
Bombardier Defence Services (BDSUK) was acquired in 2000. The deal included Airwork, a provider of aircraft and equipment maintenance, flying training and support services, thus expanding the group's naval and land support services into aircraft support. BDSUK added £200 million to Vosper Thornycroft's order book and is prominent in the Middle East, particularly Oman. The company has been renamed VT Aerospace and is based at Bournemouth International Airport (Professional Engineering 21.6.00).
Halmatic was bought from Hunting Plc in 1998 (Jane's Defence Industry, Dec 1998). Halmatic builds small, specialised military, police, post and paramilitary high speed craft, such as fast patrol boats.
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Company Locations
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Vosper Thornycroft (UK) Ltd Victoria Road, Woolston, Southampton SO19 9RR. Tel: 023 8042 6000, Fax: 023 842 6010
Engineering and Manufacturing Services Victoria Road, Woolston, Southampton SO19 9RR. Tel: 023 8042 6000, Fax: 023 842 6057
Halmatic Ltd Portchester Shipyard, Hamilton Road, Portsmouth PO6 4QB. Tel: 023 9253 9600, Fax: 023 9253 9601
Vosper Thornycorft (UK) Ltd 223 Southampton Rd, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth PO6 4QA. Tel: 023 9235 4000, Fax: 023 9235 4001
Flagship Training Ltd PO Box 152, HMS Collingwood, Newgate Lane, Fareham PO14 1YW, Tel: 01329 229000, Fax: 01329 229001
Fleet Support Ltd Postal Point 81, East Office Block, HM Naval Base, Portsmouth PO1 3NJ. Tel: 023 9272 5386, Fax: 023 9272 2179
Integrated Logistics Division Victoria Road, Woolston, Southampton SO19 9RR. Tel: 023 8042 6000, Fax: 023 842 6632
Saudi Vosper Thornycroft PO Box 4900, Riyadh 114212, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Tel: +966 1 464 9770, Fax: +966 1 465 1139
Vosper-ManTech 223 Southampton Road, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth PO64QA. Tel: 023 9235 4000, Fax: 023 9235 4001
VT Bordon SEME Budds Lane, Bordon, Hampshire GU35 OJE. Tel:
01420 485509, Fax: 01420 485522
VT Aerospace Chapoel Gate Bournemouth Int. Airport, Bournemouth BH23 6BS. Tel: 01202 365200, Fax: 01202 365416
VT Arborfield Hazelbrook Barracks, Arborfield, Reading, Berks. RG2 GNJ. Tel: 0118 976 2202, Fax: 0118 976 2208
VT Marine Services 223 Southampton Road, Paulsgrove, Portsmouth PO6 4QA. Tel: 023 9235 4000, Fax: 023 9235 4001
VT Training Unit D1, Enterprise Point, Melbourne St, Brighton BN2 3LH. Tel: 01273 677512, Fax: 01273 677513
Board of directors
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Lord Wakeham Chairman - Also a director of the Enron Corporation and holds around 14 other directorships (Sunday Telegraph, 3.2.02). Lord Wakeham has been Leader of the House of Commons, Leader of the House of Lords, Government Chief Whip, Secretary of State for Energy and Minister responsible for co-ordinating the presentation of Government Policies.
Martin Jay Chief Executive - Also Task Force Chairman for South East England Development Agency, Council Member of Business for Sterling (Europe Yes, Euro No Campaign) and on MoD's Defence Industries Council.
NJ Baldock Non-executive Director - G Cameron Managing Director, Military Support Services
C Cundy Finance Director. Joined from KPMG
PJ Lester Non-executive Director. Currently Group Managing Director of Balfour Beatty plc
TJ Madden Managing Director, Marine Products
AG Raper Non-executive Director
Sir Jock Slater GCB LVO ADC DL Non-executive Director. Also a senior millitary adviser for Lockheed Martin and was formerly First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff and a member of the Defence Council
SE Tarrant Managing Director, Civil Support Services
RW Taylor Group Commercial Director
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