A batch of new contracts has given R.P. Adam an £800,000 boost and will help create new jobs, both at its Selkirk factory and in the field.
The agreements mean the firm’s cleaning chemical products will be used in more than 600 new sites, including Odeon cinemas, care homes and schools.
Managing director Robin Leith said an additional five members of staff will be employed in the UK by the end of the year, taking the total up to 70. Currently, 45 staff work at the company’s headquarters on one of Selkirk’s industrial estates.
Thirty staff are employed in Dubai, where subsidiary Arpal Gulf is based, and where the company first took an interest in the 1990s.
Its success has resulted in manufacturing starting there too, having exported to the region for decades.
Mr Leith said: “We set up our own office, with our own people, in anticipation that it was going to be a very exciting place, and Dubai turned out to be one of the most vibrant development projects in the world – and we got in at the right time. Over the years we have generated a great reputation there from our products and service.”
Mr Leith said growth of £1million to June 2014 is expected in the UK alone, with two new products also planned.
He added: “Our strategy is to provide outstanding service in our contracts. We have never compromised on quality or service.
“Yes, the margins are under pressure, so we are under pressure to reduce prices, but our strategy is not to reduce prices to the point that we are not able to deliver the quality and service we stand for.”
The company was further boosted last month with the appointment of John Taylor as finance director. He joined as financial controller five years ago.
Mr Leith said: “We have an excellent management team in place, able to help us grow significantly over the next three to five years and beyond.”
This year Geoff Adam became the longest-serving chairman in the family business’ 123-year history, with 45 years at the helm.