STEPHENSON Gobin Ltd, a successful County Durham engineering company, began life in 1972 manufacturing electromagnetic clutches and brakes.

Almost 40 years on, the company continues to move from strength to strength, employing a skilled workforce from the local area and supplying products worldwide from its SG Transmission and Geofire divisions.

The business has seen 50% growth in the past two years and with the help of the County Durham Development Company will move to a new site in 2012 which has 2.5 times the capacity of the current premises.

Employee numbers have grown from 38 to 60 since 2009 and with new contracts awarded throughout 2011, it’s expected that after the site move, around 40 new jobs could be created at the firm.

This growth has arisen from new and exciting opportunities for its goods.

Stephenson Gobin’s products can be found all over the world, from everyday applications such as supermarket entry gates to state-of-the-art exoskeletons and sports cars.

Making life easier for the less able has always been a focal point when creating new products.

Geofire’s Salamander wire-free door holders and door closers are designed to improve access throughout public buildings by holding doors open and releasing them when the fire alarm is triggered.

The range also includes Zleepsafe – a vibrating pillow alarm to wake hard-of-hearing people or heavy sleepers in the event of a fire.

Although the Geofire brand was established in 2004, its history dates back over a century to the ancestors of the current directors of Stephenson Gobin.

In 1854, the impressive new factory of Messrs Wilson & Sons in Gateshead was found to be on fire.

So began the Great Fire of Newcastle and Gateshead, which destroyed numerous properties, killed 53 people and injured hundreds more.

From fire starting to fire protection – it’s easy to see how much the business has changed in the last one hundred years. Stephenson Gobin is very much a community-based business, having worked with local schools to provide work experience for students with special educational needs and taking part in the County Durham Future Business Magnates competition, which encourages local schoolchildren to take an interest in business.

More information about the company can be found at www.stephensongobin.com , or by telephoning 01388 832252.