Perth-based Edwards Engineering sees sales jump amid goal to be £20m firm

Perth-based Edwards Engineering has announced a 28 per cent increase in annual turnover, as it looks to become a £20 million business.

The Perth-based firms managing director Sandy Kirk, left, and chief executive Ben Carter. Picture: Shaun Ward Photography.

The 50-year-old firm – which operates from a 45,000 square foot site – said sales grew to £9.6m. Revenues have doubled in the last three years, delivering year-on-year growth of 26 per cent and 28 per cent in 2018 and 2019 respectively. Its headcount has also increased, to 62.

The business, whose customers span food and drink, manufacturing, agricultural and construction, was acquired via a management buy-in with support from existing management in August 2016.

Chief executive Ben Carter welcomed the benefits of investment in its project management capability. "We are seeing strong growth in the maltings industry and grain processing for major farmers, cooperatives and traders.

“We’ve worked closely with Kingdom Farms delivering the new £1 million seed processing facility at Balgonie Estates near Glenrothes, and with the Muntons team on their Malting Germination Bed Replacement in Stowmarket, Suffolk. The successful completion of a £4m project with Superglass Insulation to install the new furnace building at Stirling, doubled their annual production capacity of glass wool.

“Combining the multi-skilled capabilities of our in-house design and fabrication facility alongside the on-site installation of complex projects has directly contributed to the doubling of our sales figures in the last three years. We are planning continued investment in our technical and project management capabilities to underpin further growth as we work towards our target of £20m turnover.”

Edwards Engineering announced a formal partnership in October with DPS Group, a Scottish electrical, instrumentation and control business.

The joint venture follows Edwards Engineering’s acquisition of the intellectual property, designs and copyrights of JE Cockayne Limited, a provider of cask filling and disgorging systems to the whisky industry. The new joint venture company, Cockayne Systems, will be servicing existing customers and aims to provide innovative solutions to the wide range of customers’ needs in the industry.