When Brian Dempster purchased secondhand equipment to start a Fife business he would never have imagined it growing to its current size.
The roots of Pro-Duct go back 25 years when Brian bought an old dairy workshop in Kingskettle.
His son, also Brian, left school at the age of 16 to join the business. The pair started making benches and sheet metal for local factories.
Securing a key contract helped make the company’s reputation – manufacturing ductwork for a brewery in Edinburgh.
Today Pro-Duct is one of the industry’s leading companies in manufacturing and installing ducting and ventilation.
From £30,000 to £5.2 million sales
From its humble beginnings and £30,000 turnover in its first year, the firm now has 60 staff, five business arms and annual sales of £5.2 million.
Brian Jr, who succeeded his father as managing director two years ago, believes it is the firm’s emphasis on family values and its staff that is behind its success.
He said: “My dad built strong relationships with clients and staff which has made a positive impact since day one.
“Pro-Duct’s growth has been built around the culture of the organisation paving the way for success, providing a positive working environment for the team.
“We’ve got some members of staff who have been with us for more than 20 years.”
Pro-Duct proud of maintaining values as it grows
The business grew quickly to add two additional premises and three staff after its first year.
It then made a major investment in its current 20,000 sq ft production facility in Cardenen in 2006.
“We invest in the latest machinery and are known for responding quickly to customer requirements,” Brian adds.
“What I’m most proud of is that we’ve maintained the company values as we’ve grown.”
The group can manufacture, deliver and install complex systems into a wide-range of projects.
V&A Dundee among contracts
These include the ventilation system in V&A Dundee, which was worth £1m and took around a year to complete.
One of the firm’s most complicated projects came last year at the Valneva vaccine manufacturing site in Livingston, another seven-figure deal.
So what does the future hold for the company?
“We also plan to develop our staff and provide internal progression – recently we made our business development manager Craig Condie a director,” Brian said.
“We want to maintain our reputation for reliability and continue to provide jobs for Fife.
“The focus is on continued manageable growth year after year.”
Conversation