Arkoni upbeat after record contract win
METALWORKING firm Arkoni said it is confident of continuing on its path of growth after securing its biggest order to date and boosting turnover last year by 30% to £4m.
The Brighouse-based company, which provides bespoke architectural metalwork for commercial and residential building projects across the UK and Ireland, recently landed a £500,000 contract to supply glazed walling, staircases and balustrading for a major new sports venue in the East Midlands.
Managing director Mark Prentice said: “We are operating at near full capacity, continuing our recruitment and currently looking to invest in new automation technology and processes to cope with demand.
“Even at the height of the construction boom in the early 2000s we were not seeing the levels on enquiries and conversions we are currently experiencing now.
“As a manufacturing firm we are perfectly placed to benefit from this progress. So many of our competitors were unable to survive the recent recessions and that makes for a leaner market in which to operate.”
He added: “Main contractors have a much shorter supply chain these days and reliability has become a key issue. That has undoubtedly played into our hands and we are seeing unprecedented levels of interest in the fire-rated glazing, canopies, balustrading, bespoke staircases and other architectural metalwork features.
“As a result we increased turnover by 30% to £4m last year and fully expect to see similar growth this year. We’ve already recruited ten new employees this year and that will only increase in the coming months.”
Arkoni is currently in the process of applying for grants to install CNC automated technology and has just completed a major investment in new project management software.
“These are all signs that the construction sector is beginning to spark back into life and companies like ourselves are a great indicator of the progress being made,” said Prentice.
