Wolverhampton-based Deritend, a provider of engineering solutions, is celebrating its 121st birthday in style after announcing a £1 million boost in sales — and the creation of 11 new jobs (www.deritend.co.uk).

The company, which undertakes the repair and replacement of electric motors, pumps, gearboxes, electronic controls and induction equipment, has marked the anniversary with a string of new contracts from clients involved in the automotive, utilities and food-processing sectors.

It started out as a small electrical maintenance business in London in 1898, primarily repairing street lighting in and around the capital; today, it employs 110 people at four locations in the Black Country, Luton and Middlesbrough.

After the clutch of recent wins, it is on course to reach annual sales of £11 million.

Managing director Richard Hale said: “121 years in business is a fantastic achievement, especially considering all the different economic changes and some really bad recessions.

"We have acquired companies, we have sold firms, and we have moved on numerous occasions; throughout all of this, we have always stayed true to our founding principles of being small enough to care, but large enough to cope.

“This approach — combined with investment in modern facilities and our people — means that we can offer our customers a proactive repair and maintenance service for their critical assets, helping them to minimise the down-time, reduce the costs and maximise the productivity of equipment.”

Acquired by Mr Hale and his management team in 2001, Deritend plays a critical role in ensuring that we have clean water in our homes, production lines meet just-in-time requirements and society has a regular supply of food.

Its fabrication operation in Middlesbrough and skilled engineers strategically located around the UK support customers ranging from Severn Trent/Thames Water and JCB to British Steel and Mondelez International, which owns
Cadbury.

Over £750,000 has been invested in new equipment, recruitment and up-skilling the company’s workforce over the last 12 months, with plans in place to relocate its Wolverhampton site to West Bromwich by the start of 2021.

Regional director Dave Booth said: “Our staff are a key part of the journey we have been on, with some of them working with us for over 45 years.

"We wanted to do something to celebrate the 121st birthday, so we have organised celebrations at our four locations, where every employee will receive a gift as a memento of our anniversary and a ‘thank you’ from the management team.”