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For the Design, Manufacturing and Installation of Tensile Canopies & Shade Sails
SD Sails Ltd is the architectural lead and primary manufacturer for a global network of shade solutions. We operate three specialized divisions to ensure every client, from a major construction firm to a private homeowner, gets the specific engineering they require.
As a leading shade sail company in the UK, we know that getting a complete solution for your project can be a hassle. The combined skill set of SD Sails, Sail Shade World and CSI brings architectural tensile canopy design, manufacture, site survey, structure, ground works and installation all under one roof.
Operating from our 15,000 sq ft facility in West Sussex, with state-of-the-art machinery and equipment, we house the design, CAD engineering, and manufacturing teams for the entire SD Sails and Sail Shade World group under one roof. Our mission is to provide beautifully crafted bespoke tensile canopies designed to fit your precise structure and location.
Our clients range from major companies working in construction, landscaping, architecture, hospitality and education, to canopy specialists, private venues and residential homes.
Our Management Team
Simon Dawkins
Director & Head Designer
Director and Founder of SD Sails, Simon Dawkins has dedicated his entire working career to the art of textile fabrication.
Having competed as a professional windsurfer in the 80’s and 90’s, Simon achieved numerous national and international windsurfing titles using sails he personally designed and manufactured by hand.
Fast-forward 30 years, Simon now not only directs the company, but also plays an active part in the technical CAD design of the products, personally handling many of the more complex projects, as well as bringing his knowledge and experience to the whole design and production team.
Still an avid recreational windsurfer, Simon is also a passionate sailor and skier, and enjoys hiking in the great outdoors.
Simon Haslett
Director & Project Manager
Having worked up through every aspect of production and design over 10 years, Simon Haslett has built up a wealth of knowledge and experience in the company, which he now filters through to staff and clients alike as Project Manager.
Simon is co-director at CSI, the sister company of SD Sails, set up to handle all site-related work for our end-user clients. In the dual-capacity, Simon personally oversees the project work to ensure the highest standards and customer satisfaction. Simon is a busy man in and out of the office, where his hands-on experience in both areas is invaluable to the overall success of the project.
A true family-man at heart, Simon enjoys motorsport, quad and motocross biking, and spending time with his family and friends.
Nick Puttick
Sales Manager
New to the SD Sails team in 2022, Nick Puttick joins us with a wealth of knowledge and experience in the industry from Arc-can Shade Structures. As a long-time client of SD Sails, Nick’s understanding of exactly what is possible, means he can handle bespoke enquiries with speed and efficiency, whilst ensuring the clients get well-considered solution.
Working hand-in-hand with the design team, Nick is also excellent at producing accurate proposal drawings and images to bring our canopy solutions to life, which then transition perfectly into the production design process if they go ahead.
Nick’s experience in structural design also marries perfectly with the technical requirements of CSI’s services, meaning we can offer a wide range of canopy solutions to meet every budget.
With a young family to keep him busy, Nick is a keen Formula 1 fan, with their winner’s podium canopy structure amongst his portfolio of work.