Consider a company that has developed a new sensor system. It works in controlled conditions and could help vessel operators detect equipment problems earlier, reduce costs and avoid disruption. The company sees a potential maritime application and believes there’s a commercial opportunity.

Moving from that concept to a product that can be used aboard a vessel, however, involves much more than further technical development. The company must show that the system will work reliably at sea, connect safely with existing equipment and produce useful information. It must also understand the regulatory requirements and how the product will be supplied and supported.

These questions are closely connected. Development decisions will influence testing and approval, while the demonstration must produce evidence customers can use. This is the journey MSE Commercial can help companies navigate.

Establishing Feasibility

The first stage is to establish what the concept needs to prove. For our sensor, it isn’t enough to collect data. The company needs to know whether that data is reliable, produces useful insights and improves an operational or maintenance decision.

The system must also withstand marine conditions, connect with legacy equipment and fit into existing ways of working.

MSE Commercial can help examine the concept in this wider maritime context. By considering the technical, operational and commercial requirements together, we can define what needs to be developed, the evidence required and a credible route to testing.

Testing What Matters

Testing should become progressively more representative as the technology develops. Initial work may take place under controlled conditions, followed by simulation, shoreside testing or a test rig before moving into an operational environment.

Installing the sensor aboard a vessel may appear to be the obvious goal, but the trial must be designed to measure reliability and operational value.

MSE Commercial can help plan this progression and connect companies with suitable facilities, vessel operators, ports and technical partners. We can ensure the evidence builds towards a meaningful demonstration rather than a trial that leaves important questions unanswered.

Building in Regulation and Assurance

Regulation and assurance are sometimes treated as matters to address after a technology has been developed. In maritime, that can lead to expensive changes or delay a product that has otherwise performed well.

Our sensor may not control equipment directly, but it could influence operational or maintenance decisions. Questions may arise around data integrity, cyber security and integration, involving a classification society, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency or another specialist body.

MSE Commercial can help identify these issues during development, support early engagement with the relevant organisations and ensure that testing produces evidence that’s useful for assurance. Regulation then becomes part of the development pathway rather than a barrier encountered at the end.

Designing the Route to Market

A successful vessel trial doesn’t, by itself, create a commercial product. The company must still decide how the system will be manufactured, supplied, installed and supported, either directly or through a commercial partner.

The evidence gathered during development also needs to speak to the market. Customers will want to understand reliability, compatibility, whole-life cost and operational or financial benefit. MSE Commercial can help keep these considerations connected to the technical work by refining the proposition, engaging prospective customers and identifying the capabilities or partnerships needed to move from a prototype to a repeatable commercial offering.

One Team Across the Journey

The sensor is only an example. The same journey could apply to alternative fuel technology, a digital platform, vessel equipment or a marine data service. In each case, development, testing, assurance and commercial planning need to remain connected.

MSE Commercial brings the experience behind MSE International’s sector-leading innovation work directly to companies and organisations. It isn’t a separate consultancy or a different team operating under the MSE name. It’s the same MSE team, putting on its commercial hat to help industry develop and bring forward new solutions.

Rather than treating each stage as a separate exercise, we can help maintain a clear line from the original concept to its intended market. What’s learned at one stage informs the next, while the commercial purpose remains visible throughout.

If your company has a maritime concept with potential but needs help moving it towards demonstration, assurance and commercialisation, MSE Commercial would be pleased to discuss the journey with you.

To speak with MSE Commercial, please contact André Cocuccio, Commercial Director at MSE International, at ac@mseuk.org or 44 (0)23 8011 1597.