Turnover and profits jumped at trailer manufacturer Don-Bur in 2021 despite the impact of Brexit and Covid-19.
The latest accounts from the Stoke-on-Trent company show that turnover for the 12 months to September 30, 2021 was £53.7 million – up from £42.4 million in 2020.
Pre-tax profits also rose to £2.5 million from the £1.2 million recorded for the previous year.
Don-Bur also revealed that it has a record order book despite facing 'many obstacles' over the last 12 months including staff shortages and material price rises.
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A statement signed off by the board said: "2020/21 has been another testing year. In the wake of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic we now have a record order book extending well into 2023, but there have been many obstacles in the way of us being able to maximise on the opportunities that such a large order book presents.
"The major issue has been the availability of labour, both in attracting new talent into the business and retaining the employees that we already have. We have had to implement a set of labour rate increases just in order to stabilise the workforce and to be able to bring new talent into the organisation as we try to maximise on the volume of our output.
"This has been a particularly difficult period for recruitment as we compete with other major employers in the area for labour in a landscape of scarce human resources and escalating pay rises."
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In an effort to meet the industry-wide recruitment challenges and the 'unprecedented level' of new orders, Don-Bur invested more than £50,000 in a new training hub which opened at its Mossfield Road headquarters, in Adderley Green, last month.
The aim of the hub is to teach apprentices and trainees the skills needed for a career in welding, coachbuilding, fitting and assembly.
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The board's statement added: "The other major challenge has been the escalating material price increases which we have been subjected to across virtually all the components that make up our product, particularly in steel.
"Contracts have needed to be re-assessed for increased costs multiple times, and ethical mechanisms put in place to pass on cost increases to end customers in order for us to protect our margins and remain viable as a business."
But despite the challenges over the last 12 months, Don-Bur is looking forward to another profitable year in 2022.
The statement said: "With a record order book, the directors are confident that the company will still be profitable in the forthcoming 12 months and beyond, although the full impact of Covid-19 on the business still cannot be predicted with any certainty. The directors are of the opinion that the company can continue to operate within its current and future financial parameters and so continue to meet its debts as they fall due.
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"The company's longer-term strategy for beyond 2021 is to grow its market share and improve profitability by seizing opportunities that currently exist to achieve organic growth. The directors have continued to put measures in place to try and break into new markets in order to achieve this."
Don-Bur, which has just completed its 40th year of trading under its current name, operates across five divisions and boasts a workforce of more than 500 staff.
It produces around 1,500 units a year covering everything from 7.5 tonne rigid bodywork to complex hydraulic moving deck trailers.