Our Members, Their Stories: MCD Systems

Shining a spotlight on Global Underwater Hub (GUH) members.

GUH caught up with Lyle McCalmont, Managing Director at MCD Systems. 

MCD Systems are an award-winning digital technology company based in Teesside, specialising in software development, technical consultancy, and digital transformation. 

What does your company do, and what role does it play in the subsea industry?

Lyle: “MCD is a digital technology company based in Teesside. We design, build and support custom digital platforms for industries that operate in demanding environments - maritime, offshore, safety, infrastructure and training.

“Our work includes consultancy, UX design, AI, data engineering and connected hardware integration. We build everything from office-based web platforms and data dashboards to field tools designed for limited connectivity, demanding environments and time-critical workflows.” 

"The challenge the subsea sector faces is one we understand: getting data from equipment in remote, difficult environments back to the people who need to act on it. However that data arrives - whether it’s synced from an offshore installation, captured during an inspection, or streamed from equipment in the field - the platform it lands on has to make it useful, reliable and accessible. That’s what we build.

“We work across maritime, shipping, safety, training and industrial measurement - and our ambition with GUH is to bring that capability directly to the underwater and offshore community.”

What sets your company apart from others?

Lyle: "We go deep before we build. Every engagement starts with our team getting embedded in the client’s operation - sitting with crews, surveyors, inspectors, operators. We observe how work actually happens, not how a spec document describes it. That depth of understanding is why our tools get adopted rather than ignored.

“We’ve built platforms for vessels at sea where connectivity drops out, for port environments where surveyors need to capture data under time pressure, and for field teams using connected hardware in safety-critical settings. We design for these realities because we’ve seen them first-hand.”

“The same people who run discovery are the ones who design and build. That continuity from understanding to delivery is rare, and it shows in the results.”

Can you tell us about a recent achievement you're particularly proud of?

Lyle: "We’re building a human performance platform for a Danish shipping consultancy - integrating with crew management systems to deliver learning, appraisal and competency tools to vessel operators worldwide. It’s a good example of how we work: the brief started with a specific problem around crew development, but because we spent time understanding the wider operational context - how crews rotate, how competency records follow people between vessels, how shore-based teams track performance across a fleet - the platform became significantly more valuable than what was originally envisaged.

“Separately, we used AI and optical recognition to help a client resurrect years of legacy operational records - documents locked in formats nobody could search or act on. We turned that archive into structured, queryable data that changed how their team made decisions. 

"It started as a document problem and became a strategic data asset. That shift from “fix this” to “transform this” is where we do our best work.”

How has GUH helped your company access new opportunities and markets?

Lyle: "Subsea and offshore are a natural extension of the work we already do in maritime - but they’re also industries with specific challenges we find genuinely interesting. The data problems are complex, the operating environments are unforgiving, and the people doing the work don’t have time for technology that doesn’t earn its place. 

“GUH gives us visibility into that community - offshore wind developers, decommissioning specialists, defence contractors, subsea operators - and the chance to show what purpose-built, operationally-informed technology looks like when it’s done properly.”

Finally, how has GUH helped support your company's goals and ability to grow?

Lyle: "Our goal is to grow MCD into a recognised name in digital technology - particularly for organisations operating in tough, data-rich environments. GUH supports that by connecting us with industries where our skills are most needed and least available.

"We build across the full spectrum, but our experience with safety-critical workflows, unreliable connectivity and demanding operating conditions is a genuine specialism. That needs the right audience. 

“GUH provides access to offshore wind, oil and gas, decommissioning and defence organisations who understand why purpose-built technology matters - and why it’s worth investing in properly.”

“We are also exploring collaborative R&D opportunities through the GUH network, particularly around AI, connected devices and data in offshore operations. Growth, for us, means solving harder problems for industries where the stakes matter.”