Unique Group Invests in Indian Diving and Life Support Facility

A multi-million rupee investment to enhance its Diving and Life Support division in western India will see Unique Group company Unique Hydra strengthen its infrastructure and increase customer accessibility in the region.

The 10,000 sq. ft facility in Vadodara, Gujarat, will offer assembly and manufacturing services along with a dedicated engineering and design team to support customers’ diving requirements. The state-of-the art manufacturing facility will be equipped to manufacture integrated saturation and air diving solutions, HBOT systems, diver launch and recovery systems (LARS), and decompression chambers - as well as containerised air and mixed gas diving systems. Complying with international standards including IMCA, Lloyds Register, ABS and DNV, the facility will also manufacture Unique Group’s Oceanwide S.a.S brand of Self-Propelled Hyperbaric Lifeboats (SPHL), bringing the Group’s global expertise to the Indian marketplace.

The new and upgraded facility in Gujarat is a valuable addition to the Group’s “Make in India” initiatives and will provide a base from which to support contractors and the Indian defense sector’s diving equipment and support needs. Products and services from Unique Group’s partner companies, Kirby Morgan and Cortland Fibron, will also be delivered from the new location with a dedicated service team to provide after sales support to clients.

Rodney McKechnie, Managing Director of Unique Hydra (South Africa) explained: “We have been supporting various diving clients across India for several years now. As a part of our expansion plans in the region, we are very excited to be able to offer enhanced manufacturing services and sales support locally in Vadodara, Gujarat, thus building on our commitment to being fully accessible to our clients.”

Dr. Sharad Kumar, Director of Sales at Unique Hydra (India) said: “Unique Group has established a strong presence in India across our various divisions: survey equipment, on-site engineering, marine and subsea and buoyancy and ballast. Through this new facility in Gujarat, we aim to service our strong customer base while also empowering the local economy and workforce. We have already received an order for a mini-saturation diving system from a reputable client in India, which is an excellent start to 2020.”