PRECISION engineering company Francis Brown has created 22 jobs as its revenues have risen by nearly a third this year.

The Stockton-based company is expecting further growth in the near future and is creating a further 14 jobs, which will increase the company’s workforce to 89.

Francis Brown Ltd’s increase in sales to around £6m has been attributed to the increased requirement for its fabrication services from the oil & gas, subsea, chemical and renewables industries. Among the recent projects completed by the company was a series of Launch and Recovery Systems for subsea remote-operated vehicle manufacturer SMD, which will be utilised on projects off the Brazilian coast.

Francis Brown Ltd has also secured a number of upgrade and maintenance projects at North East chemical plants and North Sea oil rigs, which have taken place during planned shutdowns throughout the year, supplying pressure vessels, flare tips, pipework and steel access platforms.

In addition to securing more contracts, the firm has improved productivity and increased capacity by adopting modern working practices such as lean manufacturing and by altering the shift system.

To meet this growing demand for its core markets for its fabrication services, the firm is now looking for platers, welders, estimators and machinists as well as project managers, engineers, a commercial manager and a number of support workers.

Managing director Jamie Brown said: “We are part of a strong and integrated supply chain, which is benefiting from the buoyant oil and gas industry and the emergence of sectors such as offshore renewables. The business has developed specialist skills, required by the core sectors we serve, that have facilitated our growth.

“It is always satisfying to be able to create new jobs. We are a proud North East business and it is very pleasing to be able to support the local economy through job creation.”