HEYWOOD, UK – Power‑engineering specialist R&B Switchgear Group has launched two new hubs in Southampton and Sunderland as it seeks to supercharge its national response times to meet growing demand.
By bridging geographic gaps between the North East and South Coast, the company now covers even more square miles of the UK, enhancing service speed and accessibility for marine and on‑shore customers alike.
The Sunderland hub – the company’s fifth UK location – will focus on the maintenance, servicing and retrofits of low and high‑voltage switchgear across the North‑East.
Headed up by industry expert Steve Smith, the new facility is the latest addition to the growing ‘northern powerhouse’ of R&B offices spanning Manchester, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Smith will leverage his extensive expertise from ABB and Dorman Smith Switchgear to drive strategic growth, embed advanced maintenance strategies, and unlock long‑term savings and operational efficiencies for customers. Within their first year of operation, his team secured a major NHS framework contract via NOE CPC, ensuring vital power resilience for hospitals across the region.
Steve Smith said: “I’m proud to lead a team focused on delivering specialist solutions with long-term impact. Our vision is to enhance operational efficiency for our clients, ensuring their power systems remain safe and reliable.”
“We look forward to continuing our momentum and making a significant impact through our partnerships with some of the region’s most notable businesses, infrastructure projects and healthcare providers.”
In Southampton – heartbeat of the UK’s marine industry – the Group has created a fully‑equipped marine service centre to support cruise‑line and commercial fleets with on the pulse response times.
Headed up by Operations Director Oliver Batt, the new marine hub boasts a cutting-edge manufacturing, test and repair facility, and the team has already delivered transformer rebuilds and emergency repairs & routine maintenance to some of the sector’s most prestigious companies including P&O Cruises, MSC, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line.
With over 17 years of experience in the marine industry, Batt brings a wealth of technical expertise from his time served at sea and in key LNG superintendent roles. His appointment marks a significant step in R&B Switchgear’s national expansion and strengthens its ability to deliver marine support on a global scale.
Operations Director, Oliver Batt said: “The opening of our Southampton site is a major milestone. It improves our responsiveness and reinforces our commitment to delivering specialist marine services at pace and scale – something with is critical in this industry landscape.”
“With this dual expansion, we’re poised to deliver a more agile &, more efficient service to our clients,” adding “It’s a key part of our strategy to hire the best people and invest in infrastructure support that delivers lasting value to our customers.”
Newly appointed Managing Director Max Beswick
Max Beswick also added: “Southampton returns us to our roots. We began in 1985 servicing marine switchgear; today we lead the field in full‑life marine power solutions
R&B Switchgear Group’s expansion comes at a critical time, positioning the company to introduce new offerings to the market and further solidify its leadership in the sector. This expansion follows a run of landmark contracts with United Utilities, Tesco, Carnival and MSC, fuelling the company’s momentum across public‑sector, industrial and marine markets.