Fire protection company Blaze Manufacturing has hired a director of Aberdeen Science Centre to spearhead overseas expansion plans, the north-east firm announced yesterday.
Blaze finance director Ann Johnson said new international manager Colin Black’s background in rig cooling made him a “great match” for the company.
Mr Black, who is also a director of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, will help Blaze reduce its reliance on North Sea clients amid a tough economic climate in the region due to the low oil price.
Mrs Johnson said the company would start by targeting new clients in Norway and the Netherlands before moving further afield, with the Caspian and Singapore emerging as options.
She was speaking after accounts published by Companies House showed Blaze managed to stay in the black in its last financial year amid challenging market conditions.
The Laurencekirk-based firm, which makes fire safety systems for the oil and gas industry, saw new deals help it lift turnover by 40% to £18.6million, but Mrs Johnson said the figure was likely to slip back to £10million for the current trading year.
However, Mrs Johnson, who founded Blaze alongside husband Howard in 2006, said even though income would be down, an eight figure sum in the current climate was a good result.
Pre-tax profits dropped about 60% to £765,000 for the year ended March 2015.
Mrs Johnson also said the oil and gas industry downturn was opening doors for the company, which has about 30 employees, as operators look to reduce costs and increase efficiency.
She added: “We are finding that more and more companies want to deal with us directly. We can offer a more restricted programme to get people through the next few years.
“We’re trying to help companies do what they need to do, but we are aware they do not want to spend a lot of money on big projects and that’s where we can add value.”
With efficiency in mind, Blaze, which also has a base in Kemnay, is on the verge of releasing a new product onto the market.
Mrs Johnson said the new nozzles were in the final stages of gaining certification and would result in significant costs savings for the industry.
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