The company won four awards, collecting the Team of the Year award, Product of the Year award, Outstanding Individual of the Year award and the overall Manufacturer of the Year award, reflecting its innovation in the defence sector as well as the outstanding contribution of SEA Cell Lead, Callum Matthews.
Pictures L-R: Team of the Year, Product of the Year (Ancilia), Outstanding Individual of the Year and Manufacturer of the Year (KraitSense)
The Team of the Year recognition follows a landmark year for SEA, marked by the success of its major site transformation project and its continued development of advanced maritime defence technologies. The privately funded facility upgrade programme modernised more than 2,000m² of production and office space, created new customer facilities, and expanded the Barnstaple site’s capacity to support future growth.
The investment has already delivered significant results, and these milestones have supported a doubling of annual revenue, multiple overseas contract awards, secured over 120 new job roles in North Devon, and reinforced SEA’s reputation as a key regional employer and national innovator.
SEA’s trainable decoy launcher, Ancilia, also designed and manufactured in Barnstaple, was awarded Product of the Year. Ancilia is a highly modular and flexible maritime countermeasures solution, designed to rapidly and effectively counter advanced air, surface and subsurface threats such as ballistic missiles and torpedoes. It has been selected for a £135 million contract with the UK Ministry of Defence to enhance protection on their surface fleet, alongside generating more than £300 million in potential export opportunities.
SEA’s Cell Lead Callum Matthews took home the Outstanding Individual Award for his role in the transformation of SEA’s Array Hall and production team. Callum oversaw the physical upgrade of the hall, which included doubling the number of array benches, and improving workflow. He also recruited and trained a largely new team, clearly demonstrating his proactive communication and problem-solving skills, all while overseeing the delivery of three major sonar array programmes. His commitment to continuous improvement truly exemplified SEA’s values.
To finish the ceremony, SEA won the overall Manufacturer of the Year award, which is selected by the judges from all of the entries submitted into the NDMA, for its next-generation sonar system, KraitSense, which is designed and manufactured in Barnstaple. KraitSense, the lightweight towed array sonar system developed by SEA, delivers advanced underwater sensing capabilities for naval and maritime platforms, offering high-performance detection, tracking, and classification of underwater threats in both littoral and deep-water environments.
Richard Flitton, Managing Director of SEA said: “Winning the Product, Team and Manufacturer of the Year awards is a real testament to the hard work, creativity and dedication of our team at SEA. The Manufacturer of the Year award demonstrates the breadth and impact of our expertise, and is a success story for North Devon. We’re proud to be shaping the future of global maritime security, whilst continuing to provide high-technology jobs in the region.
“Callum’s award is a clear recognition of his technical and operational acumen which inspired and led a team through a key period of change at our Barnstaple site. Key for the business’ future growth, the programmes Callum played an instrumental role in will support SEA’s ongoing success and our reputation for reliability and excellence in undersea systems manufacturing.
“We have a long history of innovation and deep connection to North Devon and we’re proud to see our effort and ambition celebrated through the NDMA awards.”
