What Wills Ridley does

Wills Ridley Limited is a British designer and manufacturer of marine hydraulic and electric steering systems, established in 1963 and headquartered in Penryn, Cornwall. The company's core product portfolio centers on hydraulic steering components — helm pumps (Neptune and Tetra series), hydraulic power packs, and a range of linear actuators across the JM (brass balanced), KS (black balanced), R (blue balanced), and AM (unbalanced) families — alongside electrical steering controls (NFU joystick, FFU lever, FFU knob, electric helm unit, rudder position and angle indicators). Supporting products include rudders, valves, tillers, steering wheels, and a Universal Isolated Dimmer. The firm has extended its offering with the Lightning Electric Actuator, a Bureau Veritas-compliant electric rotary steering gear designed as a cleaner alternative to hydraulic systems. All designs and manufactured products are compliant with IACS classification society rules and the firm holds ISO 9001 accreditation.

Wills Ridley serves four primary vertical segments — super yachts, military, commercial vessels, and fishing — with super yachts and military flagged as primary. Revenue is generated through project-based hardware sales (steering systems and components), supplemented by engineering services including hydraulic system design with vessel-visit surveys, quotation assistance, retro fit services, and a technical procurement arm that sources marine equipment globally for shipyards, oil companies, and military organizations. The firm also acts as the UK agent for DVZ Services GmbH, distributing marine wastewater treatment and oily water separation products. Pricing is quote-based with a £50 minimum order, a 30% deposit requirement, balance due prior to dispatch, and a standard 12-month warranty.

The go-to-market is direct technical sales: engineering-led consultation, multiple online quotation request forms (budget, full, retro fit), live chat support, and global engineer visits for surveys. The firm emphasizes long-duration customer relationships through service and spares support for systems dating back to 1963, including non-Wills Ridley equipment, which functions as both a customer retention mechanism and a competitive differentiator in a niche, regulation-driven market.

Name

Wills Ridley

Legal name

Wills Ridley Limited

Website

https://willsridley.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wills Ridley designs and manufactures marine hydraulic and electric steering systems — helm pumps, actuators, power packs, rudders, and controls — for super yachts, military, commercial, and fishing vessels globally, operating from Penryn, UK since 1963 with ISO 9001 and IACS classification compliance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Steering Systems

NAICS

Fluid Power Cylinder and Actuator Manufacturing (333995), Fluid Power Pump and Motor Manufacturing (333996)

SIC

Pumps & Pumping Equipment (3561), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Propulsion Drives, Gearboxes & Shaftlines (IMAJAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marine Hybrid & Electric Propulsion Systems (IMAJAHAC), Propulsion, Shafting & Rudder Repair (Engines, Gearboxes, Thrusters) (IMAJAFAC)

Keywords

• Marine steering systems
• Hydraulic actuators
• Rudder packages
• Electric steering gear
• Vessel steering controls

Headquarters

HQ city

Penryn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Steering Systems and Components Sales: Manufacture and sale of hydraulic steering systems, helm pumps, power packs, hydraulic actuators, electric steering, rudders, tillers, valves, wheels, and steering controls. Products are sold to super yachts, military, commercial, and fishing vessels globally.
2. Technical Procurement Services: Technical procurement team quotes shipyards, oil companies, and military organizations worldwide with wide range of marine products. Specializes in obsolete parts solutions, custom manufacturing, and 'like for like' spares or nearest equivalents.
3. Hydraulic System Design Services: Engineering services including vessel visits for requirements analysis, measurements, system design, quotations, and general arrangement drawings. Also provides training and questionnaire-based remote design services.
4. DVZ Products (UK Agent): As UK agents for DVZ Services GmbH, supplies sewage treatment plants, oily water separators, fat traps, and buffer tanks. Provides spares and new build enquiries for marine wastewater treatment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Wills Ridley designs, manufactures, and supplies marine hydraulic and electric steering systems, including helm pumps, power packs, hydraulic actuators, electrical steering controls, rudders, valves, tillers, and steering wheels for super yacht, military, commercial, and fishing vessels globally. The company also delivers hydraulic system design, technical procurement, retro fit, and quotation assistance services, and acts as the UK agent for DVZ marine wastewater treatment products. Its Lightning Electric Actuator steering gear provides a greener electric alternative without hydraulic piping, compliant with Bureau Veritas Classification rules.

Product overview

Wills Ridley is a British designer and manufacturer of marine hydraulic and electric steering systems, established in 1963. The company supplies the super yacht, military, commercial, and fishing sectors. Its core product portfolio centers on hydraulic steering components including Helm Pumps (Neptune and Tetra series), Power Packs (electric and engine-driven), Hydraulic Actuators (JM, KS, R, and AM series), and Electrical Steering Controls (NFU Joystick, FFU Lever, FFU Knob, Electric Helm Unit). Supporting products include Rudders, Valves, Tillers, Steering Wheels, and the Universal Isolated Dimmer. The company also offers complementary services including Hydraulic System Design, Quotation Assistance, Technical Procurement, and Retro Fit Services. As UK agents for DVZ, they additionally distribute sewage treatment and oily water separation products. Designs and manufactured products are compliant with all IACS classification societies. The product range was recently expanded to include the Lightning Electric Actuator, a greener electric steering alternative designed for Bureau Veritas compliance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Helm Pumps Manual hydraulic steering pumps that allow operators to maneuver the wheel to control oil flow in steering systems. Available in Neptune and Tetra series sizes for small to large vessels.
• Power Packs Hydraulic Power Units (HPU) serving as prime movers for powered steering systems, delivering oil without human effort. Available in electrically driven variants (3-phase, single phase, DC 12/24V) and engine-driven configurations.
• Hydraulic Actuators Linear actuators that provide torque to turn rudders through desired angles, available in JM, KS, R, and AM series with numbers indicating torque at 55 Bar working pressure and supporting custom configurations.
• Electrical Steering Controls Electronic control systems for steering including Non Follow Up (NFU) Joystick, Full Follow Up (FFU) Lever, FFU Knob (Hockey Puck), Electric Helm Unit, NFU Wheel, Rudder Position Unit, Steering Control Unit, and 72mm Rudder Angle Indicator.
• Steering Wheels Steering wheel controls including the Non Follow Up Wheel offering quarter turn operation to port and starboard with spring-loaded return to center position.
• Full Follow Up (FFU) Rotary Knob Stainless steel knurled knob on black acetal body control device (Model PE6720, IP65 rated) where operators move the pointer to a desired angle and the rudder follows to that position.
• Rudders Marine rudder design and manufacture offered in three options: complete design and manufacture of rudder and rudder tube assembly, manufacture to customer drawings, or design-only for local manufacture with classification society stamped approvals.
• Valves Pressure relief and distribution/bypass valves available in aluminium and steel, compliant with major classification society rules.
• Tillers Components connecting to rudder stock with split boss or solid boss for tapered rudder stocks, designed to provide sufficient torque at required angles.
• Universal Isolated Dimmer Six-channel isolated dimming control panel with adjustable brightness levels, featuring pulse width modulation at approximately 100Hz for 1A 24V lighting loads and master control via potentiometer, push button, or serial input.
• Lightning Electric Actuator Steering Gear Electric rotary steering gear that eliminates hydraulic piping for cost-effective installation, compliant with Bureau Veritas Classification rules. Features three scalable sizes that can run as single or dual actuators, 3-phase motors with electric brake, torque limiting coupling set 25% above working pressure, and inverter for soft start, with actuation speeds from 10 to 28 seconds fully extended to fully closed.
• DVZ Sewage Treatment Products UK agency for DVZ Services GmbH products including sewage treatment plants, oily water separators, fat traps, and buffer tanks for marine, yachting, cargo shipping, and offshore applications.
• Technical Procurement Services Technical procurement service providing quotes for shipyards, oil companies, and military customers worldwide with motors, CAD design, air conditioning, generators, pumps, valves, steering gear, and specialized marine equipment, plus obsolete parts solutions and like-for-like spares or nearest equivalents.
• Hydraulic System Design Services Custom hydraulic system design for all types of hydraulic equipment, with engineers available for vessel visits to generate detailed requirements reports including flow requirements, pressures, and equipment specifications.
• Quotation Assistance Services Technical advisory service providing guidance on specifying correct steering systems, including rudder dimensions, vessel speed, steering positions, power pack requirements, and electrical power supplies available on board.
• Retro Fit Steering Gear Services Refit project services for steering gear and rudder replacement, with options to retain existing systems where condition is satisfactory, including engineer's vessel visits for surveys or remote consultation via video and photos.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lightning Electric Actuator provides up to 28 seconds actuation time with soft start function via inverter

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• DVZ Services GmbHminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWills Ridley are UK agents for DVZ Services GmbH, a German company with over 30 years of experience developing innovative wastewater treatment systems for marine, yachting, cargo shipping, and offshore applications. DVZ develops and manufactures sewage treatment plants, oily water separators, fat traps, and buffer tanks at two sites near Bremen, Germany. Wills Ridley supplies DVZ spares and handles new build enquiries for UK customers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Torqeedo: Torqeedo is a leader in electric marine propulsion for small commercial and leisure vessels, representing the emerging electric-propulsion trend that underpins demand for Wills Ridley's new Lightning Electric Actuator range. Both companies target the 'greener' marine power opportunity from different angles.

Broad incumbents

• Kongsberg Maritime: Kongsberg Maritime supplies integrated bridge, automation, and dynamic positioning systems, including steering controls and joystick interfaces for commercial and naval vessels. It overlaps with Wills Ridley's electrical steering controls (NFU/FFU levers, rudder angle indicators) as part of a much broader marine technology portfolio.
• Twin Disc: Twin Disc manufactures marine transmissions, power take-offs, and control systems used in commercial and military vessels. While focused on drivetrain rather than steering gear specifically, it competes for the same marine system integration spend at the shipyard level.
• Wärtsilä Marine: Wärtsilä is a major marine systems integrator offering propulsors, automation, and vessel control solutions that touch steering and maneuverability. As a broad incumbent it competes for large shipyard packages on which steering gear is a sub-system, raising competitive intensity for Wills Ridley at the top end.
• ZF Marine: ZF Marine produces marine transmissions, propulsion, and steering systems as part of ZF's industrial portfolio. It competes for marine drivetrain and control packages at the OEM level that are adjacent to Wills Ridley's steering gear scope.
• Sperry Marine (Northrop Grumman): Sperry Marine supplies integrated bridge systems, autopilots, and steering controls for naval and commercial fleets. It is a broad incumbent competing for steering-related control suites on the same types of vessels Wills Ridley targets.
• Rolls-Royce (Kamewa) Marine: Rolls-Royce's marine business (historically including Kamewa) supplies waterjets, propellers, and integrated marine propulsion systems including steering-related controls. It is a broad incumbent serving naval and commercial shipyards with overlapping steering and propulsion capability, though within a much wider portfolio than Wills Ridley.

Direct peers

• Becker Marine Systems: Becker Marine Systems is one of the world's leading manufacturers of marine steering gear and rudder systems for commercial vessels, directly overlapping with Wills Ridley's hydraulic and electric steering product lines. Both compete for shipyard newbuild and retrofit steering contracts across similar vessel classes.
• Jastram Berckmoederloot B.V. Jastram manufactures hydraulic steering gears, control systems, and rudder installations for naval, commercial, and offshore vessels. Its product portfolio (helm pumps, actuators, steering controls) is a near-direct match to Wills Ridley's range, serving the same classification-compliant shipyard channel.
• Tokyo Keiki (Marine Steering Division): Tokyo Keiki produces marine autopilot, steering control systems and hydraulic steering components for commercial and naval vessels globally. It is a direct peer in the marine steering controls and electro-hydraulic actuator categories that Wills Ridley serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/willsridley
• Facebookfacebook.com/willsridleyltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wills-ridley

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Wills Ridley