Salts Healthcare sees record exports as new Birmingham data centre opens
ONE of Birmingham’s oldest businesses is flying the flag for British manufacturing after announcing a record 23% year-on-year growth in exports.
Salts Healthcare, which has a turnover of £60m and employs 500 staff, is also charting growth with the opening of its new UK flagship customer care facility in the city centre.
Exports now account for 18% of turnover at Salts Healthcare and have been growing year-on-year. The firm’s biggest export markets are Europe, North America and Australasia and new distribution agreements in the last year include Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, Canada, Holland and Japan.
Salts, which has been in existence for more than 300 years, has also been expanding in Australia, where its nurses presented at the prestigious World Council of Enterostomal Therapists conference.
Robert Salt, export director, said: “Business is strong for Salts Healthcare with many recent new product launches not only in the UK, across Europe and in Australia and North America. In 2012 we set up distribution networks in Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia following our success in Japan and Holland. Companies around the world tell us time and time again that they feel safe working with a British company. They know they will find innovation, quality products and services and value for money.”
The Salts Medilink Birmingham Central Customer Care Centre was officially opened by Paralympian gold medallist James Roe MBE.
The new office, on Colmore Circus, will supply stoma care products to NHS and private patients across the West Midlands. The facility is intended to be the flagship building for 17 other centres in a network which covers Scotland to Cornwall.
The Birmingham centre, which has a purpose-designed waiting area, consultation room and office, is headed by manager Annette Bostock.
She said: “I’m very proud that my centre is the Salts flagship and I’m looking forward to serving the people of the West Midlands from our new offices. My team and I have many years of experience of dealing with patients with stomas and with the Salts Medilink network we have a team available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to offer confidential advice and support.”
Philip Salt, chief executive, added: “In the last five years we have grown to have a 500-strong workforce and, whilst others have found business difficult recently, Salts has seen some of the most dramatic growth in the company’s 300-year history.
“I’m delighted James was able to officially open our flagship centre. He epitomises what our company stands for – strength, passion and a work ethic to always achieve the best. When I watched James and all the other GB Olympic and Paralympic competitors last year I was so proud to be British. Salts is a proud British company but we understand we live in a global workplace that demands the very best.
“Our success over the last few years shows we are competing and doing well, but the future is the most important, and investment in facilities like Birmingham Central shows we are committed to future growth and success.”
Managing director Peter Salt said the key to the firm’s success is continual investment in manufacturing, marketing, research, development and innovation.
“We are not a plc, but a family-owned company that can engage with our markets and customers quickly due to a highly skilled and dedicated workforce,” he said.
