So what are the benefits of UK sourcing? “Service, quality and supply chain management,” says Mark Isham, who heads up the RTM facility at GRP Laminates, which has the capacity to produce 200+ door skins a week in a wide range of colours. He sees the slowdown in the building industry as one reason why customers choose to buy British.

“Overseas sourcing depends on substantial shipping volumes to be economic. When products are not moving quickly, you have added storage costs. A high level of inventory sitting in the warehouse is no good for cashflow.” When future orders are hard to predict, the short lead times of UK sourcing are also invaluable. GRP Laminates is well used to working in sectors where products must be delivered to tight timings, to fit in with a mutli-stage fabrication programme. There is also a benefit in being able to pop into the factory at a couple of hours notice to check things out.

“We can also make original moulds,” adds Isham. “We can develop new products, provide rapid prototypes, demonstration models and samples. It means our customers can really get what they want, including their own signature ranges and specials, to give them a competitive edge.”

The new Rapid Response Vessel (RRV) from South Boats Special Projects, to be built at GRP Laminates, is designed to solve a multitude of problems, from a VIP taxi service, to a mobile spares platform or incident response boat. It will provide speeds of 30kn in combination with optimum stability. Capable of carrying 12 people or a tonne of equipment, the boat will cost about half as much as a 15m or 17m aluminium boat, depending on the general arrangement and fit out.

Clive Jeffery of South Boats explains the motivation for partnering with GRP Laminates: “They offer high quality production capacity and the ability to deliver to offshore standards. This boat offers great efficiencies for windfarm operators, and we can make it and market it better together.”

Technical Director of GRP Laminates, Bob Bennett says: “We’ve got the specialist moulding expertise and understanding of how composite hulls perform, and we have the capacity to produce the hull and superstructure here, with engine installation and outfitting at South Boats.”

The new South Boats/GRP Laminates RRV looks set to become the workhorse of choice for windfarms, with multiple applications for customers including port authorities, survey teams, police services and pilots.