Durable set for its first million
A HARTLEPOOL firm set up 18 months ago claims to be on track to bank its first million, simply by turning the lights off all over Britain.
Durable Technologies, led by husband and wife team Alex and Lorraine Carter, is building its fortunes on the back of the growing number of public bodies and corporate customers who are legally required - or feel morally obliged - to install energy-saving systems. The one-product company has earned accreditation with The Carbon Trust for its intelligent technology, which combines lighting control and presence detector sensors in one unit. It is now on an approved list of suppliers of low-carbon systems eligible for enhanced capital tax allowance - an extra sweetener from the Government for companies who adopt low carbon technology.
A member of KNX, a European membership owned manufacturers’ organisation which irons out incompatibilities between office systems, Durable is going head to head with major players including Phillips and Siemens. It has secured its first two export deals - to South Africa and Switzerland. But as one of the few suppliers to help UK public buildings meet their new Display Energy Certificate targets, potential for domestic expansion is also good.
“Apart from savings, there is a lot of kudos attached to a company that has this type of technology installed - 80% of FTSE companies have some sort of low-carbon technology,” he added.
Although coy about the precise details of its design, he claimed it could cut power consumption by at least 60%.
Based in UK Steel Enterprise’s Hartlepool innovation centre, Durable has secured £55,000 investment from the Corus subsidiary.
“The market for lighting controls is growing by about 50% year on year and is currently estimated to be worth about £40m,” said Mr Carter. “This investment from UKSE is vital to take the company on to the next stage. We would expect to be a multi-million pound company within two to three years.”
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