North-east oil service company Ferguson Group said yesterday it was poised to exceed £50million annual turnover for the first time this year.
It achieved a figure of £38.5million in 2010 but expected that its move to new headquarters at Kintore, in Aberdeenshire, would play a “crucial” role in posting record turnover this year and again in 2012.
Ferguson, which officially opened its new £6million base in the Midmill Business Park yesterday, said continued growth was likely to see it hit turnover of £60million next year.
The company’s manufacturing operation will remain at its former headquarters at Inverurie, while its Ferguson Modular hire and IceBlue divisions will be moved to Kintore.
The Seacabs arm will remain at the group’s Bridge of Don site, in Aberdeen.
Ferguson is a specialist in the rental of containers, accommodation cabins and engineering modules to the offshore energy industry worldwide.
It now employs 155 people after recruiting 20 in the past 12 months and expects to add a further 20 to its workforce within the next year.
Managing director Steven Ferguson said the move to new headquarters was part of a three-year, £75million investment project to support the company’s global expansion strategy. In the coming months, he said, Ferguson would open a new base in Dubai and its Norwegian and Australian teams would move into larger premises in Stavanger and Perth respectively.
Mr Ferguson said: “Our new headquarters has been designed with space for us to continue to grow in future and we will continue to take on more staff to meet the demand for our services.”
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The official opening was attended by First Minister Alex Salmond, who said Ferguson was a beacon to other Scottish firms seeking customers in new markets.
Mr Salmond added: “Ferguson Group is a real success story for Scotland and the north-east, and the firm’s international growth over the past three decades shows how companies founded to take advantage of the opportunities offered by North Sea oil and gas have now expanded across the globe and into new sectors.”