Kingswinford-based Simworx (www.simworx.co.uk — a designer and supplier of media-based theme-park attractions — is set to treble its order intake after a series of high-profile contract wins around the world.

The business has seen orders grow from £10 million last year to £30 million so far this year, as demand for cutting-edge installations booms in emerging markets.

A typical example of a Simworx attraction is its Immersive Tunnel product. After entering a pre-show area, guests board a 30- or 60-seat themed vehicle that goes into a tunnel — typically between 35 and 70m in length — comprising a 360deg 3-D screen.

They are fully immersed in the sights and sounds being broadcast, and there may also be special effects such as water spray or wind — or even bubbles.

Alongside sustained growth in Europe and the Middle East — marked recently by the unveiling of the F1 racing experience in the Ferrari Land theme park at Port Aventura World in Spain, plus the Kung Fu Panda Ride at Motion Gate in Dubai — Simworx is winning international orders for its latest 4-D/5-D effects theatres, 3-D audio-visual services and immersive experiences.

Among its latest orders is one from Vietnam for a ride that lifts seated visitors up into a huge dome screen and gives them the sensation that they are flying, and one from an Indonesian theme park to add 3-D audio-visual media to
a water-flume ride.

The business has also signed a £46 million co-operation agreement with a theme park developer in China to build three new rides a year for the next four years.