Partfinder Marine

What Partfinder Marine does

Partfinder Marine, operated by Partfinder Limited (a UK private limited company registered in England & Wales, founded 2010), runs a members-only B2B trading platform that connects vetted buyers and sellers of commercial marine and industrial spare parts globally. The platform is accessed via a web portal at partfindermarine.com and uses a search-based information exchange architecture: members register for free, but active trading — viewing full contact details, sending RFQs, and closing deals — requires subscription credits or search tokens. A searchable parts database spans major marine OEMs (Caterpillar, Yanmar, Wartsila, MAN B&W, Alfa Laval, GEA Westfalia, Sulzer, MaK, Ruston, Daihatsu, Deutz, Sabroe, Stal, J&E Hall, Carrier, Baldwin, Fleetguard), with 34,332+ line items indexed for Yanmar alone and tens of thousands of additional lines added through major supplier onboarding events. Vetting of all buyers and sellers is positioned as a core safety/security feature, and communication (email, PM, RFQ records) is centralized within the platform to reduce transaction friction. The company also operates a trading division, Gatwick Distribution Services Ltd, which markets consignments and handles physical sales of surplus marine engines, generators, and spare parts, plus a Component Inspection Service add-on that frees superintendent and technical-department resources.

The business model is subscription/freemium on both sides of the marketplace: free registration with chargeable access for both buyers (credit/token packs to unlock contact data and deal-making) and sellers (subscription). Payments are processed via third-party card processors, PayPal, or invoice/bank transfer, with monthly account terms available for qualified companies. Go-to-market is largely direct/self-serve via the platform, supplemented by content marketing through a Substack newsletter, news/blog articles, and organic social (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter). Customer segments are commercial marine operators (shipping companies, vessel operators, procurement departments) and marine parts suppliers/distributors, with secondary reach into offshore and power-generation maintenance operations. The company is family-owned and bootstrapped (no external institutional funding disclosed), led by Managing Director W.J. Phillips and Director C.F Phillips, with no evidence of venture capital, M&A, or public listing.

Revenue figures are not publicly disclosed, but scale signals indicate a niche B2B operation: approaching 12,000 registered users, a single UK phone line, two UK office addresses (Horsham registered, Brecon operational), and sixteen years of continuous operation. GDPR compliance is documented, and the company acts as both data controller and data processor. The product surface is essentially a vertical marketplace plus adjacent services (trading consignment, component inspection, newsletter), with no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, APIs, SDKs, or mobile applications.

Name

Partfinder Marine

Legal name

Partfinder Limited

Website

https://partfindermarine.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Partfinder Marine operates a members-only B2B online marketplace where vetted buyers and sellers trade commercial marine and industrial spare parts globally, monetizing via subscriptions and search credits, and supplementing the platform with a trading division and inspection service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marine Spare Parts Marketplace

SIC

Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLAHAJAI

Marine Service Provider Coordination (Diving, Inspection, Class/Survey Support)

Transportation & Logistics/Ports, Terminals & Maritime Services/Ship Agency, Husbandry & Port Call Services

SECONDARYTLAKAKAM

Marine Systems Commissioning, Testing & Certification Support

Transportation & Logistics/Vehicle & Equipment Maintenance, Repair & Services (MRO)/Marine Vessel Maintenance & Repair (Shipyards)

Keywords

• Marine spare parts
• B2B trading platform
• Marine equipment sourcing
• Industrial parts marketplace
• Commercial marine RFQ

Headquarters

HQ city

Brecon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Subscription Service: Subscription-based service free to register but chargeable for both Buyers and Sellers. May offer trial periods at company's discretion. Payment via third-party card payment service, PayPal, or invoice/bank transfer. Qualified companies may receive monthly account terms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Partfinder Marine is a members-only B2B trading platform operated by Partfinder Limited that connects vetted buyers and sellers of commercial marine and industrial spare parts and equipment globally. Buyers can search freely across an extensive manufacturer-parts database; trading access requires subscription credits or search tokens, after which buyers can deal directly with vendors via RFQ transactions recorded within secure messaging. The company also operates a trading division that handles physical consignment sales of marine equipment.

Product overview

Partfinder Marine operates as a unified B2B commercial marine spares and industrial equipment trading platform with a members-only model. The core product is the Partfinder Marine Trading Platform, a search-based marketplace that connects vetted buyers and sellers globally. The platform supports secure RFQ transactions, internal messaging, and contact management. The company's trading division, Gatwick Distribution Services Ltd, handles physical consignment sales of marine equipment. Additional offerings include a Component Inspection Service for quality verification and a Newsletter subscription for industry updates and platform announcements. The platform lists parts across major marine engine manufacturers including Caterpillar, Yanmar, Wartsila, MAN B&W, and Alfa Laval, with over 34,000 items available for the Yanmar brand alone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Partfinder Marine Trading Platform Members-only B2B commercial marine and industrial spare parts trading platform that connects vetted buyers and sellers globally. Buyers can search freely across an extensive manufacturer-parts database; trading access is enabled through subscription credits or search tokens, allowing buyers to view results and deal directly with vendors via secure RFQ transactions and integrated messaging.
• Gatwick Distribution Services Ltd (Trading Division) The company's own trading division that markets consignments on behalf of end-users and handles physical sales of surplus equipment including marine engines, generators, and spare parts. Operates as a channel for converting platform and external consignment inventory into direct sales.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thorough vetting of all members for enhanced security

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gatwick Distribution Services LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrading company/division of Partfinder Ltd. Markets consignments on behalf of end-users; handles sales of surplus equipment including marine engines, generators, and spare parts. Located in UK with contact via [email protected]
• WKM CornelisseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTrading partner based in Leerbroek, Netherlands. Handles marine engine sales and purchases including Caterpillar D379 marine engines and Paxman engines. Regular consignor of equipment to the platform.
• Premier Separator Services LtdminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK-based independent separation specialist. Lists Alfa Laval, GEA/Westfalia, Moatti and Glacier filter spares on the platform. Appointed worldwide stockist/distributor for Glacier FT Ltd.
• Delitek ASminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorwegian company specializing in marine garbage compactors, disposal units and complete garbage handling systems for vessels and offshore installations. Signed up and confirmed they 'loved the concept' of the platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• PartsTrader: PartsTrader is a B2B marketplace platform connecting buyers and sellers of specialized parts, with similar search-and-transact mechanics to Partfinder Marine but focused on collision and specialty parts — comparable marketplace model and target dynamic.
• Maritime Optima: Maritime Optima provides a digital platform serving commercial maritime procurement and supplier discovery — overlapping with Partfinder Marine's supplier discovery and vetting value proposition for the same buyer segment.

Others

• VesselFinder: VesselFinder operates in the broader commercial maritime data ecosystem that Partfinder Marine's buyer segment also relies on, providing adjacent enabling data and ecosystem context to the same commercial marine customer base.

Direct peers

• Spare Parts Hub: Spare Parts Hub aggregates marine and industrial spare parts suppliers into an online marketplace, addressing the same hard-to-find parts problem for commercial marine buyers that Partfinder Marine targets.
• GoMarine: GoMarine operates an online marine spare parts catalog and marketplace connecting vessel operators with marine suppliers globally — overlapping product/market fit with Partfinder Marine.
• MarineParts.com: MarineParts.com is an online catalog and sourcing platform for marine engine and equipment parts, comparable in serving commercial marine buyers with manufacturer-specific parts listings similar to Partfinder's Yanmar/Caterpillar/Wärtsilä catalogs.
• Marine Spares Online (MarineSpares): Marine Spares is an online marketplace focused on marine spare parts and equipment, serving commercial marine operators and suppliers — directly comparable product category and target customers.
• ShipServ (Mercell): ShipServ, now part of Mercell, operates one of the largest maritime e-procurement marketplaces connecting shipowners, ship managers, and suppliers for marine parts and services — directly comparable to Partfinder Marine's vetted B2B marketplace model in the same buyer/supplier segment.

Regional players

• Compass Maritime Media: Compass Maritime is a maritime industry media and supplier directory that overlaps with Partfinder Marine's buyer-side discovery use cases, providing supplier visibility for commercial marine procurement.

Broad incumbents

• Wärtsilä Online Services / Parts Portal: OEMs like Wärtsilä, MAN Energy Solutions, and Caterpillar operate direct parts portals that compete for the same buyer wallets as Partfinder Marine, particularly for OEM-branded parts that anchor Partfinder's catalog depth.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/partfindermarin
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/partfinder-ltd

Compliance1 record

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 Partfinder Marine