A Tayside glass manufacturer is continuing its investment programme with a £2.5 million outlay in equipment and software as it eyes greater market share.
In addition to the investment, Ravensby Glass is also set to extend one of its two Dundee facilities and increase its headcount.
The firm has operated in the city since 1985 and supplies glazing products to the public, residential, commercial, historic and medical sectors.
The investment comes as the firm makes a rapid recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.
Chairman Nicholas Cunningham said: “We were completely closed down for April, May and part of June, but started bringing back production and engineering resource in the middle of the summer.
“Within a couple of months we were back to full capacity and by October we had recovered hugely.
“To take a three month period of turnover out of a year is an awful lot and it can have a devastating effect, but we have recovered well in the latter stages of the corporate year.
“We have achieved record sales and production levels in the very recent months.
“We are continuing to enjoy a strong and growing market share and our investment programme continues in the coming weeks and months with the construction of additional warehouse capacity.”
Mr Cunningham said Ravensby Glass remained committed to what it does and had not deferred its investment plans which include additional glass production capability, as well as quality monitoring equipment.
The chairman said demand for commercial insulated glass sealed units was high.
He said: “These are the units used in large buildings, predominantly in England, but also some in Edinburgh and Glasgow and this is a growth sector for us.
“Analysts say that construction is pretty full-on again and certainly that is our experience judging from our orders.”
Investment
Part of the Ravensby Glass investment includes an automatic insulated glass unit line which will allow the firm to meet market demand for oversize insulated units following the architectural trend for bigger glass in commercial buildings.
Another addition is a scanning system for quality control.
Recently filed accounts for the firm show an almost 12% increase in turnover from £14.3 million in 2018, to £15.9m for the year ending October 31, 2019.
Pre-tax profits rose by 8.5%, from £152,000 to £165,000 over the reporting period.
Ravensby Glass has also strengthened its board and made three new director appointments in recent months.
Hannah Redford oversees finance administration, Fraser Gall has responsibility for commercial and IT. Michael Fenton takes over engineering.
Mr Cunningham paid tribute to staff at the firm for their hard work and commitment during what has been a challenging time.
He said: “Our post Covid-19 markets have recovered strongly and the outlook for 2021 remains healthy.”
The company serves the domestic market and has a specialist fleet of delivery vehicles which operate throughout the UK.
The firm is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malcolm, Ogilvie and Company Limited which has had roots in Dundee for more than 160 years.
