Manufacturing and engineering companies top profits growth table
5 May 2009
London - SMD Hydrovision has topped the list of manufacturing and engineering companies to make it onto the annual Sunday Times PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100, published for the 10th year this weekend. The prestigious league table features Britain’s 100 private companies with the fastest-growing profits measured over the last three years of latest available audited accounts.
21 manufacturing and engineering companies have made it onto the table. Together they made combined profits of more than £189 million and employed 9,825 people.
Tyne and Wear-based SMD Hydrovision, which designs and builds remotely-operated, submersible vehicles, has achieved notable success. It ranks 5 nationally and has seen profits grow 110% a year from £729,000 in 2004 to £6.8m in 2007.
Of the 21 manufacturing and engineering companies that feature on this year’s league table, 16 have made it on for the first time. These include SMD Hydrovision, as well as aircraft tyre manufacturer Dunlop Aircraft Tyres and retail sign manufacturer Blaze Signs.
Energy services provider RBG is the biggest employer in the manufacturing and engineering industry to make it onto the league table. The company, which provides construction, inspection and maintenance services to
clients in the oil and gas industry, created 2,294 jobs in the last three years of latest available audited accounts. It features on the table for the third time, and has grown profits 62% a year, from £3.6m in 2004 to £15.1m in 2007.
The manufacturing and engineering companies appear on the league table alongside well-known national brands such as fruit drinks maker innocent, sandwich shop operator Pret A Manger and clothing retailer White Stuff.
The main sectors represented on the league table include engineering & construction (25), retail & consumer (17), industrial products (12), and energy & utilities (9).
The national picture
The combined profits of the 100 companies ranked on this year’s Sunday Times PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100 exceeded £1.2bn. Together they employed a total of 82,719 people in their latest audited accounts to 2007/2008.
Nearly a third of the 100 companies are headquartered in London (30). The remainder breaks down as follows: the Midlands (15), Southeast (12), Scotland (10), Northeast (11), Northwest (9), Southwest (6), East (4), Wales (2) and Northern Ireland (1).
The Sunday Times PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100 is based on historical data, with October 2008 being the latest financial year end from which audited figures are featured. It therefore measures historical performance in the months leading up to the current economic downturn, and is not necessarily an indicator of future performance.
Private manufacturing and engineering companies with the fastest-growing profits
|
National rank [2008 rank] |
Company Activity |
Location of HQ |
Latest financial year end† |
Annual profit growth over 3yrs |
Latest profit‡ (£000) |
Staff |
Comment |
|
5 |
SMD Hydrovision Subsea engineering specialist |
Tyne and Wear |
Dec 07 |
110.47% |
6,798 |
71 |
Has sold machines to Boeing, AT&T and the Ministry of Defence |
|
8 [39] |
Acteon Offshore services provider |
Norwich |
Dec 07 |
104.46% |
37,755 |
1,041 |
Services range from mooring oil platforms to decommissioning them |
|
11 |
Dunlop Aircraft Tyres Aircraft tyre manufacturer |
Birmingham |
Dec 07 |
101.58% |
4,194 |
281 |
Opening a tyre retreading facility in Jinjiang in China as part of a joint venture |
|
16 [10] |
Reservoir Group Oilfield services provider |
Aberdeen |
Dec 07 |
94.34% |
*7,407 |
113 |
Completed five acquisitions in 2008 to double the size of the company |
|
17 |
Integrated Subsea Services Offshore services provider |
Aberdeen |
Sep 07 |
93.19% |
10,114 |
322 |
Has expanded into regions including the Caspian Sea, the Caribbean and Egypt |
|
22 |
JVM Equipment Industrial equipment distributor |
West Sussex |
Dec 07 |
86.94% |
13,585 |
500 |
Claims to be JCB’s biggest distributor outside Britain |
|
29 |
The Remet Company Metal merchant |
East London |
Jun 07 |
82.17% |
5,792 |
84 |
Subsidiary Avon Metals won a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2007 |
|
31 |
Capital Valves Valve distributor |
Wembley |
Dec 07 |
79.81% |
5,993 |
26 |
Won a Queen's Award for Enterprise in international trade in 2006 |
|
34 |
Anson Oilfield equipment maker |
Gateshead |
Sep 07 |
76.81% |
8,429 |
393 |
Its Gateshead manufacturing facilities cover a site bigger than 10 football pitches |
|
36 |
Boulting Group Engineering services provider |
Warrington |
Oct 07 |
76.14% |
4,936 |
618 |
Won a £10m contract last year for a new manufacturing facility in Lancashire |
|
38 |
Flow Group Valve manufacturer |
Sheffield |
Oct 08 |
75.93% |
6,228 |
212 |
Products include water valves for military ships and submarines |
|
49 [43] |
R P Valves Valves distributor |
Bury St Edmunds |
Jan 08 |
66.56% |
16,176 |
30 |
Stocks valves and gaskets ranging in price from £10 to almost £200,000 |
|
58 [29] |
RBG Energy services provider |
Aberdeen |
Dec 07 |
61.84% |
15,145 |
3,246 |
Is spending £5m expanding its facilities in the Scottish Highlands |
|
60 |
Greenshields JCB JCB equipment seller |
Surrey |
Dec 07 |
61.03% |
3,587 |
179 |
Provides machine maintenance at Thames Water's mobile water treatment plants |
|
68 |
Mardix Switchgear manufacture |
Kendal |
Mar 08 |
57.68% |
6,586 |
173 |
Uses innovative 3D modelling techniques to design its products |
|
73 |
Radius Plastic pipe manufacturer |
Derbyshire |
Dec 07 |
56.39% |
12,011 |
531 |
In June 2008, 3i backed a £100m buyout from company's Finnish parent |
|
74 |
Pims Group Pump station service provider |
Hampshire |
Apr 08 |
55.51% |
3,754 |
125 |
Provides rainwater harvesting systems which allow users to cut water bills by up to 60% |
|
78 |
Benson Group Packaging products supplier |
Leicestershire |
May 08 |
54.71% |
4,355 |
887 |
Supplies 5 million pieces of sustainable packaging a day |
|
83 |
Blaze Signs Retail sign manufacturer |
Kent |
Mar 08 |
53.35% |
3,518 |
284 |
Supplied 2.5 metre high neon lettering for Disney's Paris Adventure Park |
|
89 |
Noble Denton shore and marine consultancy |
Central London |
Dec 07 |
51.40% |
8,164 |
341 |
Recently won a £15m contract to project manage the installation of an offshore wind farm |
|
99 |
Van Elle Engineering contractor |
Nottingham |
Apr 08 |
48.60% |
4,187 |
368 |
Currently assisting with the widening of the M1 |
‡ Profits = operating profit with directors’ remuneration added
† Financial year end of latest available audited accounts
* annualised figures
