Solar Solve Marine

What Solar Solve Marine does

Solar Solve Marine (legal entity: Solar Solve Ltd.) is a UK-based, privately held manufacturer of specialist window shading solutions, with its headquarters and manufacturing facility located at South Shields, United Kingdom. Founded in 1974, the company has been operating for over 50 years and supplies a portfolio of branded products including anti-glare roller screens (SOLASAFE with cassette, SOLAROLA without cassette), dimout fabric roller blinds (CASSLITE, DIMMLITE), blackout blinds (ZIPTRAK® Interior, LITETITE), and adhesive/safety window films. The company claims to be the only manufacturer Type Approved by all four major maritime classification societies (Lloyd's Register, ABS, DNV, and RINA), holds ISO 9001 quality certification, MED Wheel Mark, IMO FTP Code 2010 Part 7 fire retardant compliance, UKCA marking, and Cyber Essentials certification.

The company's products are engineered to manage glare, heat, and UV radiation in demanding marine and industrial environments, with application areas spanning navigation bridges, crew accommodation, operator cabins, and air traffic control tower cabs. Products are custom-manufactured to customer-supplied measurements within a 5-day turnaround and are offered in manual or motorised configurations. The business operates a quote-based direct sales model via its website, complemented by a global network of marine resellers, distributors, and industry partners; pricing is not publicly disclosed and all transactions are conducted in GBP. Customer segments include shipowners, shipyards, maritime contractors, transport operators, construction firms, aviation facilities, and offshore installations, with a stated installed base of over 200,000 products across more than 20,000 marine vessels worldwide.

Founders John Lightfoot (Chairman and co-founder) and Lilian Lightfoot (co-founder) remain associated with the business, which appears to operate as an independent, family-led entity without disclosed external investment.

Name

Solar Solve Marine

Legal name

Solar Solve Ltd.

Website

https://solasolv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Solar Solve Marine is a UK-based manufacturer of Type Approved anti-glare roller screens, dimout and blackout blinds, and window films for marine vessels, with approvals from Lloyd's Register, ABS, DNV, and RINA, serving shipowners, shipyards, and industrial customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Window Shading Solutions

NAICS

Blind and Shade Manufacturing (33792)

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro primary industry

Interior, HVAC & Accommodation Refurbishment (IMAJAFAI)

Keywords

• Marine anti-glare screens
• Ship window blinds
• Solar control films
• Marine blackout shades
• SOLAS window shading

Headquarters

HQ city

South Shields

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Marine Window Blinds and Solar Roller Screens: Sale of anti-glare roller screens, dimout blinds, blackout blinds, and window films to marine vessels, transport operators, construction firms, aviation facilities, and offshore installations. Products are manufactured to customer specifications with 5-day turnaround. Revenue is generated through direct orders and channel partner sales with pricing based on product type, size, and customization requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Solar Solve Marine designs, manufactures and supplies Type-Approved anti-glare roller screens, dimout/blackout fabric blinds, cassette blinds, and marine-grade window films for navigation bridges, crew accommodation, and offshore installations on commercial vessels, workboats, and transport/industrial buildings. All products are custom-made to customer measurements at the company's UK facility and backed by a five-day manufacturing turnaround and a lifetime guarantee.

Product overview

Solar Solve Marine offers a comprehensive portfolio of specialist window shading solutions for the marine, transport, construction, aviation, and offshore sectors. The product range spans anti-glare roller screens (SOLASAFE and SOLAROLA) designed specifically for marine navigation bridges to maintain visibility while reducing glare and heat, dimout fabric blinds (CASSLITE and DIMMLITE) for crew accommodation areas providing controlled lighting and comfort, blackout blinds (ZIPTRAK® Interior and LITETITE) for complete light elimination in sleeping quarters, window films (Adhesive Window Film and Safety and Security Film) for solar control and enhanced protection, and outdoor Ziptrak® blind systems for external marine applications. Products are available with or without cassette housings and include both motorised and manual operation options, all manufactured to meet marine Type Approval standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOLASAFE: Anti-glare roller screen with cassette for marine navigation areas
• SOLAROLA
• CASSLITE
• DIMMLITE
• ZIPTRAK
• LITETITE

Products and services

• SOLASAFE Anti-Glare Roller Screen Type-approved safety roller screen fitted to navigation-bridge windows of commercial ships to eliminate sun glare and reflections, thereby safeguarding safe watch-keeping and navigation.
• SOLAROLA Dimout Fabric Roller Blind Dimout fabric roller blind used in crew and passenger cabins, with fire-retardant treatment to suit marine interior requirements.
• CASSLITE Cassette Blind Self-contained cassette blind system for marine and offshore windows, supplied custom-made to specification.
• DIMMLITE Blackout Blind Blackout roller blind that fully darkens cabins for crew rest periods, fitted with fire-retardant fabric to suit marine interiors.
• ZIPTRAK Motorised Blind Motorised blind incorporating the ZIPTRAK drive system, allowing remote-controlled operation of marine interior shading for crew and passenger cabins.
• LITETITE Window/Glass Film Window/glass film providing solar control, UV protection and shatter resistance for marine and architectural glazing.
• SOLASAFE Window/Glass Film (Type Approved) Type-approved window/glass film that is fire-retardant and shatter-safe, approved by SOLASAFE, RINA, MED-B, DNV, ABS and EC-type, suited to marine, transport, and industrial building applications.
• Custom-Made-to-Measure Marine Blinds (5-day turnaround) Bespoke manufacturing service that produces any SOLASAFE or SOLAROLA blind to the customer's window dimensions within five working days and supplies it worldwide backed by a lifetime guarantee.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200,000+ Type Approved window blinds and solar roller screens supplied to 20,000+ marine vessels and other locations

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Marine Resellers and DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSolar Solve supplies products through a network of marine resellers and distributors who serve shipowners, contractors, and shipyards globally. The company supports these partners with product guidance, technical documentation, type approval certificates, and installation support to enable effective selling of compliant marine shading solutions.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Hunter Douglas: World's largest window coverings manufacturer with ranges spanning roller blinds, screen systems, and architectural shading. Comparable at the product category level (roller screens, dimout, blackout, cassette systems) — Solar Solve is essentially a marine-specialist analogue of a Hunter Douglas SKU portfolio operating far narrower vertical depth.
• Springs Window Fashions: US-based manufacturer of custom and stock window coverings, including Bali and Graber brands, with motors, cassettes, and specialty fabrics. Comparable product breadth (anti-glare, dimout, blackout, motorised) at residential/commercial scale; relevant as a horizontal peer whose custom-fabrication model mirrors Solar Solve's bespoke-5-day approach.
• Dometic Group: Global marine, RV, and outdoor equipment major supplying HVAC, sanitation, and onboard systems to shipbuilders. Comparable as a broad portfolio vendor selling into the same shipowner/shipyard procurement channels as Solar Solve, though its window-shading line (historically via Oceanair) is one of many categories versus Solar Solve's specialisation.
• 3M Commercial Solutions (Window Film): Global materials major producing solar control and safety window films (e.g., Sun Control, Safety/Security lines) for buildings, transport, and marine. Directly comparable on Solar Solve's adhesive window film and safety/security film SKUs, though 3M sells across all sectors rather than specialising in marine approvals.

Emerging players

• Comfortex Window Fashions: US manufacturer of custom roller, cellular, and solar shades for residential and light commercial. Comparable on custom-made-to-measure roller screen product architecture and motorised options; relevant as a peer in shading category craft even though commercial/marine vertical presence is limited.
• Velux Group: Danish roof window and modular skylight maker with growing exterior shading and interior blind ranges, including marine and modular building verticals. Comparable in integrating glazing with shading hardware to manage daylighting, glare, and heat — a related problem set to Solar Solve's navigation-bridge and accommodation use cases.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/solarsolve
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@solasolv
• Facebookfacebook.com/SolarSolve
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/solar-solve-ltd

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Solar Solve Marine