Energy engineering firm Hydrus has continued its rapid growth since moving to Angus after picking up deals worth £3.5 million during the final weeks of last year.
The workload boost represents a record quarterly return for the firm, which moved its manufacturing operation to Brechin from Aberdeen just over two years ago.
It is preparing to add a further 10 workers to its 50-strong staff at Coventry Gauge Estates in the coming months, with the expectation of an even busier time to come.
Managing director Martin F Anderson said the decision to move to Brechin continued to pay off, with recent deals including “significant work” for projects in the North Sea and West Africa.
“We are delighted that we secured these significant contracts in the subsea engineering sector both in the UK and overseas in the final quarter of last year, and our order book is looking very strong for 2014,” he said.
“Although we continue to have our headquarters in Aberdeen, the decision to move our manufacturing facility to Brechin continues to pay dividends due to the infrastructure we have access to, not least the excellent facilities at Montrose Harbour.”
The three-month haul matches the group’s annual turnover for the year to October 2012, and puts it on track for a healthy return this time around.
The company recently spent more than £200,000 on its 35,000ft2 premises at the burgh’s former Kelman works. The investment has helped Hydrus upgrade facilities and acquire additional plant machinery.
It is just the latest step in a period of strong growth for the firm. In the short time Hydrus has been in Angus, its workforce has grown from just six to around 50 employees, with the company also taking on further fabrication space.
The company was named as the winner of the business gong at last year’s Angus Ambassador Awards, while Montrose Port Authority chief executive John Paterson collected the overall Angus Ambassador 2013 title.
Hydrus was praised for its innovation, ambition and enterprise.
It says proximity to deep-water access at Montrose Harbour is attracting clients keen to avoid log-jammed port access in the Granite City, and allows greater flexibility for its operations.
The move also allowed the company to bring all operations together on one site in Brechin after a decade in the north-east.
It works with oil and gas operators, service companies and manufacturers, and offers its customers a turnkey service for design, manufacture and commissioning.
Hydrus is also looking to make the most of growing opportunities in renewables, particularly wave and tidal, and says it is “increasingly” picking up work from developers in the emerging technologies.