Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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Empteezy finishes 30th anniversary year on a high
For spill containment specialist Empteezy, the end of 2016 not only marked the end of another successful year but also marked the company's 30th anniversary.
Empteezy now has over 200 staff and has reported a turnover of £90 million in the last three years. In 2016, exports from its UK manufacturing base increased by 18% versus 2015 and overall, turnover increased by 8% versus 2015.
The outlook for 2017 is positive with plans to capitalise on international opportunities, especially in mainland Europe.
Founding director, Bruce Wishart, started the business in 1986 in a rented second world war Nissen hut at Broxburn with the first product which he designed himself. The product was a forklift attachment that could be used to easily empty waste into skips. Empteezy was born and has continued to thrive and provide employment in Scotland ever since.
"I started the business with a simple idea, having spotted a gap in the market," explains Bruce. "Here we are 30 years later and the business continues to go from strength to strength.
"I am grateful to the team, some of whom have been with me since the beginning. I am proud to still have a base in Scotland and take on apprentices to help them learn a trade.
"I am confident about 2017, we have a good team, a good pipeline of new products and we have built up our international sales team to capitalise on global opportunities. I know there is uncertainty following the Brexit vote but when you have been in business as long as I have, you learn to adapt to changing circumstances and Brexit is no different. We are certainly forging ahead with our plans."
2016 saw the company release a series of new products, including its wrap-around emergency safety shower, specifically designed for sites handling hazardous liquids. Launched at The Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC) in November, it is fully compliant with ANSI Z358.1- the gold standard for emergency showers and eye washes.
In 2016, Empteezy was trading internationally, producing a variety of spill containment products at four manufacturing plants across the UK, France and Germany which are sold globally. The company has seen a recent surge in demand for its products in Europe, especially in Germany where sales are up by 30% and where the company invested in a newsales warehouse this year.
Now located in Livingston, the 200-strong team comprised of engineers, business development, sales and factory specialists boast a strong staff retention rate with the longest serving employee, Alan Galloway, who has worked with the company for 27 years in the fabrication unit.
Under Bruce Wishart's leadership, Empteezy has continued to innovate and expand including building a network of sales warehouses across Europe and the acquisition of Delahaye Industries in 1999 and Schoeller Industries in 2003. Wishart also formed Romold Ltd, a rotational moulding company, in Scotland in 2002.
Today Empteezy operates its own sales warehouses in Germany, Italy, Belgium, Holland, Spain and the U.A.E. Empteezy sells products worldwide including in Europe, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and the US.
19th January 2017