| Clansman Dynamics Press Release |
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CLANSMAN PRESS RELEASE
Clansman Dynamics, based in a 30,000sq ft factory in East Kilbride, has grown to become one of the world's leading designers and manufacturers of industrial manipulators and robots for use in foundry, forge and waste processing. With Scottish manufacturing exports falling by 6.5% in the year to the end of March, Clansman is a remarkable success story. Turnover increased by12% in 2009 with 95% of all sales exported and a list of customers that includes Volvo, Daimler, Alcoa and Daewoo. Having achieved record orders of £1.6 million in November, and with the emerging markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China playing an increasingly important role, the company is now aiming to boost turnover from £7 million to £9 million within the next 3 years. Employment is also expected to increase from 30 to 35. In fact we are currently recruiting 2 mechanical designers to add to our team.
Since starting in 1994, Clansman has built its reputation on providing high-technology solutions for material handling in forges, foundries, steelworks and even garbage handling for energy conversion. Against tough competition from the US, Germany and Italy, the company has successfully established a strong position around the world including China which currently accounts for 35% of its order book. The transfer to employee ownership guarantees this growth will continue to be championed from Scotland. Dick said: "Employee ownership gives everybody a stake in the company and the deal absolutely discourages ‘fattening the goose' for a quick sale, which seems to finish off so many engineering businesses. Everything about successful engineering requires long term investment in design, production and entry into new markets.'' "The business is in great shape. The factory is paid for, we have no borrowings and our success is firmly routed in a widening product range that we have successfully taken into an ever increasing number of international markets. He added "The deal could not have been done without the positive reaction of the employees. 95% of them committed to invest in the company. An incredible response in the current climate. It will give me a lot of pleasure to know that the people benefiting from the future success of Clansman are the ones who have slogged their guts out to build its reputation around the world." Clansman's move into employee ownership has been supported by Baxi Partnership Ltd. a leading employee ownership vehicle based in Dunfermline. Further support for the move came from Cooperative Development Scotland and the Industrial Common Ownership Fund. "When you consider jobs, customer support, technical development and almost any other aspect of an engineering business, ‘long term' is better than short term. Employee ownership as a business model that perfectly matches this view and as employees in employee owned businesses tend to be more entrepreneurial and committed to the company I can see strong growth potential for Clansman."
N.B. Notes to Editors Clansman Dynamics • Clansman manipulators, robots, hammers and grinding systems operate in some of the nastiest manufacturing environments in the world but continue to provide supremely robust solutions for technically difficult problems in forges, foundries, steelworks and even garbage handling for energy conversion.
• An award winning company, Clansman has now established a reputation which encourages companies around the world to knock at Clansman's door for a solution. A Siemens foundry for example in Germany wanted a hammer that was 10 times larger than anything produced anywhere to solve a safety problem. A 6 tonnes, radio controlled, monster emerged from the East Kilbride factory 5 months later and is now a standard product for Clansman.
• Clansman engineers can provide sales and technical support in 4 languages from the East Kilbride base - that's unusual for a British company and fundamental to the growth of the company.
• Record orders have been obtained in November 2009 from Canada, Russia, Brasil, Turkey, Chile and China.
• Web site address www.clansmandynamics.com
The Baxi Partnership • Website: http://www.baxipartnership.co.uk
• The Baxi Partnership Trust was originally established to facilitate the wishes of our founder, Philip Baxendale, of Baxi Boiler fame, to enable employees to share in the wealth of their businesses by fostering employee ownership. Co-operative Development Scotland • Co-operative Development Scotland was set up in 2006 to increase the contribution of co-operative enterprise to the Scottish economy.
• CDS is a subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise and has a Scotland-wide remit to ‘promote and facilitate the development of co-operative enterprises'.
• Co-operative models are relevant to all sectors but have particular growth potential in Scotland's food and drink, tourism, forestry, renewable energy and creative industries.
Alan Garland Heather McLay
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