Large orders, more jobs, an international magazine feature and a successful trade event attracting buyers from the world’s leading labels.
It is a list of achievements that most companies would love to tick off in a year, but for Galashiels-based Aero Leather this all came in the space of just one week.
Earlier this month, the firm hosted its first trade show week, which helped secure over a year’s worth of orders from all round the world.
A leading lifestyle magazine from Japan even sent a team to cover the show, with a front page picture and inside spread set for the next edition.
Founder of Aero Leather, Ken Calder, said: “The trade week has been good for us, and good for our staff.”
The event also led to the creation of two new posts due to the increase in orders, while two cloth machinists have been moved to work on leather to cope with the demand.
Mr Calder returned to the helm of the firm in September last year, and is proud to be able to create jobs in the area.
In the past six months he has also hired eight graduates from Heriot-Watt University’s School of Textiles and Design.
Mr Calder said: “These people are the future and have gone through probably one of the best universities for this industry, but had been working in supermarkets or pubs.
“At Heriot-Watt they are taught the right way to do things, and have come here with a really good schooling, so it hasn’t taken long to teach them our way of working.”
With 24 staff currently employed at the firm, and significant orders on the books, it has been a successful return for Mr Calder and his family –wife Lydia and children Holly and Denny also work there.
With a number of staff having come back since the Calders returned, Mr Calder said retirement was again on his mind.
“We have members of the team who have been here a long time and really understand the running of the company, so this time the retirement shouldn’t be so painful,” he said.