One company seems set to avoid the ‘Spectre’ of trouble ahead after being called upon to help manufacture a product for the latest James Bond film.
Leyland-based Specialised Inflatable Technologies (S I T Ltd) were involved behind the scenes in Daniel Craig’s latest blockbuster outing as 007.
The boat (RIB) which James Bond used to go down the Thames was made in conjunction with their sister company, MST Ltd (Marine Specialised Technology).
S I T Ltd was formed in 2008 with a small team of three but now boasts a turnover of £2m and employs more than 30 staff.
Work is now underway to expand their premises at Moss Side Industrial Estate on Clydesdale Place.
It’s been helped by a grant from the Lancashire Business Growth Fund, which has awarded the company £63,766 towards the purchase of a unit costing £300,000 with another £18,830 being spent on the construction of a mezzanine floor which will provide them with extra space, creating six jobs.
“We design and manufacture low pressure inflatables for the emergency services, marine, recovery, leisure, military markets and a whole host of industrial applications” said MD Chris Chadwick, who began his career with the Leyland and Birmingham Rubber Company in the late 1980s.
“S I T Ltd manufacture for many market sectors, so if one market recedes, be it seasonal or a downturn in the economy, we still have others to maintain the workload.”
The demand for inflatable ResQ sleds and boats is an ever increasing one, especially given the number of storms affecting the country of late.
That ‘ResQ’ range provides inflatables for rescue scenarios such as water, ice, mud and snow, with one particularly eye-catching job following a notable rescue mission that was carried out Stateside.
“There was an emergency landing by an aeroplane on the Hudson River in New York a few years ago,” Chris said.
“After that, John Lennon Airport in Liverpool got in touch and asked how they could provide training for a similar incident.”
“We designed and built an inflatable aeroplane, to be used in a major training exercise simulating an emergency landing on water.
Despite doing business with various clients throughout the UK, much of S I T’s trade is done overseas.
Australia, Japan, China and the USA are among the countries which have called upon S I T’s plethora of products with the States and Holland their two biggest markets.
The latest investment will allow the company to develop further and keep ahead of its competitors.
“It assists in the company growth, job creation/retention as well as dealing efficiently with our ever increasing workload,” Chris added.
“All going well we will move into the new offices by the end of the March. The mezzanine has been erected using only recycled material and will accommodate our new stores area.”
