IHC Hytech and Fathom Systems Sign International Distributor Agreement

Two leading commercial offshore diving companies, IHC Hytech and Fathom Systems, have joined forces by entering into a new international distributor agreement that was signed on 7 May 2013. Under the terms of the agreement, IHC Hytech will distribute Fathom Systems’ products in the commercial diving, hyperbaric tunnelling and medical equipment markets.

Based in Raamsdonksveer in The Netherlands, IHC Hytech is part of IHC Merwede, and designs and manufactures high-quality equipment for offshore diving and other related markets. Its advanced product portfolio ranges from small portable breathing gas panels, to complete turnkey hyperbaric multi-chamber systems that are supplied complete with environmental control units. The company is also renowned as IHC Merwede’s in-house centre of excellence for offshore-diving technology and the integration of equipment into the group’s wide range of standard and custom-built vessels.

Fathom Systems is based near Aberdeen in Scotland, from where it supplies engineering solutions and related products to the commercial diving, ROV and underwater engineering industries. It uses the latest proven technology to produce a range of high-quality reliable products, backed up with unrivalled customer support, as well as consultancy, project engineering and operational support.

The products detailed within the international distributor agreement are proprietary high-end systems, such as those for: diver monitoring and communications; helium unscrambler and acoustic through-water communications; intelligent gas analysis; chamber shutdown control; transducer instrumentation; and dedicated control. These will initially be sold and made available for hire in the Benelux countries and France by IHC Hytech, with exclusivity to generate new business within specified territories, depending on the market segment.

“The new international distributor agreement will benefit both IHC Hytech and Fathom Systems’ existing customers,” says Johan de Bie, IHC Hytech’s Development Manager. “This exciting opportunity will broaden the range of products, services and systems supplied by each company. We look forward to bringing together the highly skilled expertise and vast experience of ‘the technology innovator’, IHC Merwede, and the ‘intelligence underwater’ supplied by Fathom Systems.”

“At a time when the commercial diving sector is booming, we have seized the
opportunity to build on our relationship with IHC Hytech,” says Stuart Falcus, Fathom
Systems’ Products Manager. “We are delighted to be associated with such an
established company and this is a mark of how we have matured as a key supplier
after nine years in the industry. We are sure that our Dutch partner will bring new and
exciting opportunities that would not otherwise have been accessible.”

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Profile IHC Merwede

IHC Merwede is focussed on the continuous development of design and construction activities for the specialist maritime sector. It is the global market leader for efficient dredging and mining vessels and equipment – with vast experience accumulated over decades – and a reliable supplier of innovative ships and supplies for offshore construction.

IHC Merwede has in-house expertise for engineering and manufacturing integrated standard and custom-built vessels, advanced equipment and also providing life-cycle support. This integrated systematic approach has helped to develop optimum product performance and long- term business partnerships.

The company’s broad customer base includes dredging operators, oil and gas corporations, offshore contractors and government authorities.

IHC Merwede has over 3,000 employees based at various locations in The Netherlands, Brazil, China, Croatia, France, India, Malaysia, the Middle East, Nigeria, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Technological innovation will remain the company’s underlying strength through its continuous investment in research and development. Moreover, it helps to safeguard a sustainable environment.