LFH Engineering Boosts Sales With Growing International Focus.

Strengthening global links has helped a north-east specialist in engine pump manufacturing post healthy sales figures as it targets further growth in the international market.

Ellon-based LFH Engineering achieved sales of £3m for its 2017/18 financial year up to the end of March, an increase of eight percent on the previous year’s figures.

With a local workforce of 34 employees all based in Ellon, the company specialises in the design and manufacture of diesel engine coolant pumps, and offers full in-house pump production, repair and refurbishment services.

Around 75 percent of the company’s business comes from overseas markets in Europe, North America and Asia, including the ship repair and shipbuilding markets, the nuclear energy sector and the locomotive industry.

Les Hill, Chief Executive Officer of LFH Engineering, said: “We’re very pleased to see another significant increase in our sales figures which is the result of the work we’ve been doing with existing and new customers from around the world over the last twelve months.

“We’ve increased the level of our business in international markets which has had a significant impact. The Asia market is very strong, and we’ve fulfilled several orders from clients in the Far East where we are making new contacts and developing business leads.

“The strategic decision to attend a number of international shows and exhibitions as far afield as Shanghai, Singapore, St Petersburg and Rotterdam has been a huge success, listening to what customers want. This has led to several new business opportunities which otherwise would have been harder to source.

"In early September, we'll also be in Hamburg to attend SMM 2018, the leading international maritime trade fair with over 2,200 exhibitors, this is a great opportunity to catch up with many of our valued customers and exploring potential new projects."

In addition, LFH Engineering has also invested in a further six-figure upgrade of its facilities in Ellon which involved an overhaul of its stores area and the introduction of the latest automated storage and stock retrieval vending machines.

Mr. Hill added: “We take a lot of pride in our Ellon headquarters and have invested in a program of continual improvement to develop a showpiece facility which operates to the highest engineering and safety standards.

“We have also invested heavily to replace and introduce new workbenches and tool storage facilities at our CNC workstations, this along with our investment in our stock control upgrades have significantly helped us to increase efficiency which is a huge benefit to the business.

“We’re also at the finishing stage of the new facility layout, which includes a major investment in industrial flooring to improve workflow and create a more streamlined manufacturing process.

“Our customer on-site service is highly regarded with our engineers available to work around the world to ensure we deliver a full after sales service as well as maintenance support when required.”

Launched in March 2010, LFH Engineering comes with a long-established history in the design and manufacture of pumps, providing a range of products for ship propulsion systems, diesel power plants and the railway locomotive sector.

The ISO 9001-accredited business also offers a full range of pump tooling and service kits along with repair and refurbishment services.