GROWTH WARMS UP COLD CLAD’S TURNOVER

Founded in 2007 by Jon Pitman, Tewkesbury-based Cold Clad designs and builds fire-rated enclosures and fire separation walls for industries from engineering and IT data centres to food production.

The company also builds temperaturecontrolled environments, building envelopes and fire-rated structures. Its technology comes from the controlled environment constructions industries where temperatures range upwards from -40°C.

For more than a decade before setting up the business, Jon built his knowledge working for other companies in the sector

Cold Clad has expanded to meet rising demand for its design and installation services. Average growth over the last few years has been up to 30 per cent a year, with turnover rising to around £16 million.

“When we launched, we had a lot of support, and many of our projects are with repeat customers,” said Jon. “One particular customer in Manchester has consistently used our services and we work for them all over the UK.”

A big issue is attracting skilled people. “We are seen as a specialist construction company and recruitment can be a challenge, but we have a committed team who are our greatest asset.”

Jon is ambitious for his company, but does not intend to overstretch the business financially. “It’s about maintaining turnover and the good working relationships with the people we trade with,” he added.

The business continues to grow. With 32 permanent employees, around 100 contractors work for Cold Clad on up to 25 live projects at any one time.

“Our plan is to target 15-20 per cent annual growth for the next few years,” added Jon.

Brexit-planning drives diversification for Future Advanced

From its Staverton headquarters near Cheltenham, Future Advanced Manufacture turns ideas into highly engineered prototypes capable of scaled production.

Its CEO, Craig Petersen, joined the company in 2000 on the shop floor, and just eight years later he’d led a management buy-out of the business.

Over the last three years the business, which has 85 employees, has grown its turnover from £6.5 million to more than £15 million, and the company is on course to grow to a planned £20 million by 2025.

To combat any potential downturn due to Brexit, it has expanded globally. Future

Advanced service equipment for the oil and gas markets is now exported to Russia, USA, Argentina, UAE and Saudi Arabia, resulting in 50 per cent of the company’s revenue come from outside the EU.

It has also successfully secured long-term agreements with a number of aerospace companies, including Safran and GE, and is approved to supply flight hardware to Rolls Royce.

Craig admits that potential Brexit threats helped him and his team to transform the business. “Any CEO who isn’t facing up to the issues by adopting diversification and mitigation strategies will struggle,” he said. However, he also knows that