A long-established Walsall company is set to expand further after investing about £300,000 in revamping its factory and taking on 10 new staff, thanks in part to its involvement in the Qatar World Cup.

Howard Butler Ltd (www.hobut.co.uk) — a manufacturer of instrumentation and control products such as current transformers, digital and analogue meters and protection relays, and better known as Hobut — has upgraded its production facilities and is now also strengthening its engineering design department with two more employees.

The 102-year-old company, which has about 100 employees, has invested about £40,000 in a ‘state of the art’ IT system (which is helping streamline production) and £60,000 in new testing equipment.

In addition, a total of £200,000 has been spent expanding the factory, which now has new production lines.

Managing director Paul Collins said: “In the second quarter of 2017, we increased our sales by 15% on the same period of last year, with the largest increase coming from developing bespoke products for multi-national companies.

"We’re delighted to be involved in major construction projects for the 2022 World Cup. A huge ramping up of infrastructure is needed to prepare for the influx of the world’s football fans and the media.

"To make this happen, Qatar’s main electricity board, Kahramaa, is being supported by many control panel manufacturers, who are using a range of our products.”