GLAZIER Fendor has marked its 30th anniversary with a move to bigger premises in Sunderland.
The business now exports as far afield as Australia, and is on track to beat forecasts with a bulging order book and continued high-profile contract wins, all bolstered by a record-breaking £2.3m order intake in October alone.
In the last three months it has created around 20 jobs, taking its staff to 70 and has just invested £300,000 in its research and development team.
Fendor has gained a reputation as one of the UK’s leading commercial glazing companies. It is now a market leader in fire and healthcare glazing, and is growing its presence in security and blast-resistant sectors.
Now, in order to cope with the demand for its products, Fendor has relocated from its previous base in Heworth, near Gateshead, into 50,000sq ft premises at Glover Industrial Estate in Washington, formerly occupied by Walker Filtration.
Traditionally, its customer base was primarily based in the south of England, but Fendor is increasingly seeking to develop its local presence through competitive tendering for commercial glazing including projects such as Downing Plaza in Newcastle and Redcar Pier in Teesside.
Managing director Chris Duffy said: “We recognised the opportunity to grow through moving into different sectors and creating new products, and thankfully that has enabled us to remain financially strong despite the recession, which has seen several of our competitors cut back or even go under. The move into our new premises was something we really needed, to ensure we could keep pace with the levels of growth we are seeing.”
Despite the recession, Fendor – which counts London’s King’s Cross, the new Dorchester Hotel and the Gateshead International Stadium among its impressive list of clients – has seen a period of unprecedented growth since managing director Chris Duffy bought the company in an MBO five years ago.
The move, which has been supported by Sunderland City Council’s business investment team, marks a significant expansion for Fendor. Coun Paul Watson, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: “Fendor is a local company with a national and a growing international reputation.
“We are very pleased that our business investment team was able to find it excellent premises, and support it with the move to Sunderland.”
