A leading supplier of chromatography and mass spectrometry consumables, training, and technical support, serving laboratories across the UK and Ireland.
SMP – Ecommerce case study, Core Web Vitals Pass
Since 1974, Submarine Manufacturing and Products Ltd (SMP) has been at the forefront of the commercial diving industry serving clients worldwide with a comprehensive range of diving equipment and refurbishment services.
The Challenge
SMP faced multiple challenges in their transition from Magento 1 to a more advanced ecommerce platform. The legacy system was no longer sufficient to meet their growing needs, with slow load times causing frustration and abandonment among the engineers and procurement managers who needed quick access to technical specifications. The site was consistently failing Core Web Vitals, with Search Console reporting a poor page experience across both mobile and desktop, impacting usability and search performance.
Without a scalable WMS integration, inventory management was largely manual and affecting operational efficiency. The previous platform also lacked online payment functionality, and the absence of a chat-based support system limited the ability to engage customers in real time. The operations team struggled to publish and update content without technical intervention, and the legacy platform was a direct barrier to scaling and converting high-value leads.
Our Approach
Having assessed that a Luma-based approach would not resolve the core performance issues, we advocated for a migration to Magento 2 with the Hyvä theme. Our process began with a detailed discovery phase, working closely with SMP’s stakeholders to identify pain points, define business goals and outline technical requirements.
Development was built around best practice adherence throughout, with a focused design process that leveraged Hyvä’s flexibility to deliver bespoke content and layouts without compromising performance. Third-party client-side dependencies were reviewed carefully, with non-critical scripts deferred where possible. Alongside the frontend build we implemented B2B features including Add to Quote on Magento Open Source, a WMS integration for real-time inventory updates and dynamic shipping calculations, and a dual checkout system to support both traditional and quote-based purchasing workflows. Stripe was integrated to introduce online payment functionality, and a chat-based support system was added to improve customer engagement.
Post-launch we provided proactive CWV monitoring through our internal reporting tool, delivering direct feedback to the SMP team where CMS changes caused performance spikes, alongside training and documentation to ensure content could be managed effectively and independently.
The Outcome.
SMP’s site went from consistently failing Core Web Vitals to achieving a comfortable pass on both mobile and desktop, sustained for over 18 months post-launch. PageSpeed Insights scores improved from 30 to 93 on mobile and 64 to 99 on desktop. Search Console’s Page Experience report moved from zero good URLs to 993, with no URLs requiring improvement.
The WMS integration brought real-time inventory accuracy and improved order processing efficiency, and the SMP team gained the confidence and capability to manage content effectively without developer support.
