Defence and energy orders boost James Cropper’s technical arm

CUMBRIAN paper and advanced materials manufacturer James Cropper saw first half order grow by 10% in its technical products arm which supplies defence and aerospace markets.

In the half-year to the end of September overall pre-tax profits grew from £200,000 to £800,000 on sales of £40.1m, down 5%.

Pre-tax profits doubled to £1.6m after stripping out the costs of an accounting adjustment for pensions.

The Kendal-based group said it had benefitted from lower input costs as well as a more efficient production set-up after merging its two paper divisions this year.

AIM-listed James Cropper, which has 500 staff, has also invested in its Technical Fibre Products (TFP) unit. It supplies non-woven, speciality fibre products to industries including aerospace, automotive and electronics markets. First half sales were up 10% with orders growing in defence, energy and consumer electronics markets. Work has started on a third manufacturing line that will double capacity.

Chairman Mark Croper said: “It is anticipated that the group will continue to operate in line with the board’s expectations and our ambitions beyond the immediate future remain significant.

“I am very pleased with the changes we have made to our team and organisational structure in recent months and years. This is allowing us to better exploit the group’s growth potential and as such I am confident that we are on track to deliver improved returns in the future.”