There is always something thrilling about entering STP. The sheer energy of the place just fills you with excitement as you watch boats in need of work being lifted out of the water and the new shiny, sleek, upgraded versions returning to the sea. One such company that is at the top of its game for helping old beauties turn into catwalk queens is BMComposites.
Founded by the delightfully charming Mark Branagh, who ended up in Mallorca after taking a short holiday to the island before he was supposed to start a job on the mainland. Instead of heading over to Valencia he stayed here and finds himself still here some 14 years later, in an office with a stunning view over the bay and almost thirty staff working with some of the biggest super and mega yachts in the world. Mallorca had snared herself another yachting expert.
Mark had always had a passion for boats, growing up in and around them. After university he started fixing race yachts. A keen sailor himself, who still actively races, he had the opportunity to travel the world following his duel passions of racing and building. At one point he was Production Manager at Pendennis, working on the Volvo 70s and specifically the beautiful America’s Cup S/Y Prada. Something that had me deeply impressed and in awe was that he built the masts for one of the most iconic boats in the world, the Maltese Falcon!!.
Since its inception BMComposites has grown steadily over the years, starting out with four staff including Commercial Director Luke Hendy. It has now expanded into a one stop shop for composites, from design and build to implementation and project management. It consists of a highly professional team of managers, designers and technicians experienced in the field of composite yacht construction. Their combined experience spans over 3 decades and includes some of the largest and most innovative composite projects attempted to date.
They are completely committed to using the latest developments in carbon fibre technology and CNC tooling in order to ensure efficiency in production and the highest quality end product. They pride themselves on being approachable, professional and committed to their customers’ requirements. As they have their head office based in the STP shipyard in Palma, it means that the management team are always on hand to discuss a client’s requirements. Plus they also have a full team of technicians that operate from their fully equipped mobile workshop and vans.They also have 3 customised workshops in Palma’s most conveniently located industrial zone. Demand for their services means they have the experience to send composite technicians to any part of the world at short notice should repairs be required
Their long term investments in technology have given them the ability to produce composite parts in a range of processes and to high temperature cure cycles. They have a trusted range of external suppliers for large items such as CNC mouldings and metal fabrication and those relationships have given them the ability to take projects of any scale with full confidence of success.
Through this time they have encountered many interesting challenges and requests and have honed our skills at solving problems and finding solutions. They have now been involved in many hundreds of refits and repairs on some of the most famous super and mega yachts in the world, including their current project on MY M5 where they are modernising her look and feel and giving her a new stylish top deck.
Their production team use the latest cloud based systems for tracking man hours and materials meaning the management team have access to daily time and progress reports and can provide clients with a wealth of information. They understand that being highly organised with their work can help captains and management companies and add to the overall success of a refit project.
Being involved in such a diverse and creative business is something that helps the BMComposites team to remain motivated and keen to take on new challenges. The list is endless when it comes to their capacity to build and create; anything from bowsprits, passerelles and boarding ladders to interior / exterior furniture, radar towers and hardtop biminis, many of which can now be ordered off the shelf. They can also supply a wide range of top end composite equipment through their associated supplier network.
Along with many professionals in the industry, BMComposites have chosen to use Gurit who are the leading global supplier of composite materials. Their products are constantly being reviewed and developed and are backed up with extensive technical support data. BMComposites are ‘Authorised Distributors’ for the full range of Gurit products which enables them to provide complete composite solutions from PVC Foam to Vacuum Consumables.
Their focus is on providing a complete service from design consultancy, through structural and composite engineering, CNC machining to construction and installation. Using the latest techniques in rendering, scanning, modelling and CNC cutting they can easily produce scale mock-ups or prototypes for R&D testing or pre-production analysis. Their long experience of innovation means they are used to working to tight deadlines and budget pressures that are essential to ensure a project’s success.
It’s clear to see that the team are truly passionate about what and how they do what they do and the twinkle in Mark’s eye is very evident as he talks about some of the past projects they have worked on and many of the unusual requests they have encountered over the years. He says there is never a dull moment and no day is the same which keeps his team motivated, happy and ready to help.
HEAD OFFICE
T +34 (0) 971 254 181
Branagh Marine Composites
Muelle Viejo
Edificio Espigon Exterior
RS Global Building
Oficina 7, 07012
Palma de Mallorca
WORKSHOP
Carrer Cal Jutge 4
Poligono Son Morro
CP: 07007 Palma
Illes Balears
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