LRW exhibited at the show alongside Warwick Control Technologies - a world leader in Controller Area Network (CAN) and related technology. The team were there to raise awareness of LRW’s engineering expertise in marine – including hybrid, fuel cell and safe-chemistry pure battery platforms, data and diagnostics.

Richard reported an interesting and packed three-day show with an emerging focus on new energy. Richard commented:

‘Emissions are less of a focus in marine compared with what we’re seeing in automotive, but it was great to see sustainable energy solutions gathering pace. There were all sorts of weird and wonderful battery electric and hybrid solutions on show, and it was great to see sustainable solutions gaining traction.

We also see real potential in hydrogen fuel cells but, because it’s a new technology, it will take time for the industry to get comfortable with it. Hydrogen is the cleanest fuel available, it’s sustainable and inexhaustible - plus it doesn’t require significant recharge time so it’s ideal for marine applications.’

The team also reported productive conversations around connected data and are exploring how LRW’s data analysis and diagnostics know-how could provide solutions for the marine industry. Richard explains:

‘We’re working on a solution to pool existing marine data, using the NMEA data protocol, into a visual dashboard to allow boat fleets to anticipate problems. This will allow better preventative management of issues such as degradation before it becomes a problem, and it could massively improve reliability and efficiency. We see better use of data in the marine space as being a real game changer.’

LRW plans to return to METS in 2024. The show organisers announced a record expo this year – the show attracted over 1,500 exhibitors and almost 19,000 visitors across the three days. For more information on METS 2024, visit: https://www.metstrade.com/exhibition

Want to find out more about our work in the marine space? Get in touch on [email protected].