As we welcome 2021, a New Year with hope for better times ahead, it is important that we take the time to reflect on the last year. 2020 was an unpredictable and worrying time for so many and it is with great pride that Booth Welsh was not only able to survive but also grow.
When Booth Welsh was founded in 1989, it started as a small family-run business is an industrial estate in Stevenston, Ayrshire. Throughout the last thirty-one years, Booth Welsh has seen many transitions during this time, from optimising service offerings to become a fully multi-discipline EPC services, adding new clients, people and industry areas, Booth Welsh have achieved many milestones as a business. The business is proud to announce that their latest is achieving a 300-strong workforce in January 2021.
The team has been steadily growing over a number of years and despite 11 months of COVID lockdown the business has evolved once again by making two acquisitions. Firstly, in October 2020 when Booth Welsh made their first acquisition, welcoming iTech to the Booth Welsh family. ITech are a factory automation business with a strong foothold in Food & Beverage and Water sectors and great synergies with Booth Welsh in their approach to Digital Technology and complementary culture both invaluable particularly in a post COVID world. More recently Booth Welsh invested in an energy from waste business, securing first refusal on up to five EPC contracts for developments in the UK. Both acquisitions will make a significant impact on the future of the business, TegCo will bring large EPC experience to the business and iTech increases our sector diversity and new clients.
Along with expanding their service offering, Booth Welsh have also expanded their horizons when recruiting the latest talent. Booth Welsh’s approach to recruitment has transformed as they look to focus on capabilities that lie out with the realms of traditional engineering skills. Over the last year they have added new talent to the business in the areas of project management, estimating, commercial, tendering, recruitment, trades and new engineering disciplines.
Booth Welsh Managing Director, Martin Welsh, comments, “It is an exciting time for Booth Welsh. We are continuing to expand our team with an active recruitment drive, and we see future generations coming through with a combination of both traditional engineering and digital skills that will play a key part in our continued success. We are welcoming people into our business who have skills that we would never have anticipated five years ago. We welcomed our first gaming engineer in 2019 and these new skillsets have been invaluable to the development of our engineering solutions and our differentiating digital offerings.”
Furthermore, Martin goes on to discuss the added excitement of being an Ayrshire-based business at this time, with the highly anticipated Ayrshire Growth Deal.
We have always been proud to have our roots in Ayrshire. Our business has seen many changes to the area over the course of our lifetime, but the Ayrshire Growth Deal is the most exciting yet. We care about our community and look forward to playing our part in helping support the growth of Ayrshire through this landmark initiative. Our engineering and digital expertise will be a great support to a number of projects associated with the Growth Deal and we look forward to working with like-minded businesses to achieve a common goal of inclusive growth and economic development for Ayrshire.’
North Ayrshire Council Leader Joe Cullinane adds, “Congratulations to Booth Welsh on reaching the 300-employee milestone. This has been the most challenging of years as a result of the Covid pandemic but it is great that Booth Welsh, as a local company, is continuing to grow, not only safeguarding existing jobs but also creating new ones.
“Booth Welsh are a leader in their field, and we have always been very proud of their North Ayrshire roots as a local family business. They’ve always invested in North Ayrshire and its people and they continue to do so with 6 new apprenticeships, providing young people with a good start in their careers.
“We share Booth Welsh’ excitement for the future of Ayrshire. Over the coming years there will be huge opportunities for local businesses as part of our Community Wealth Building approach to economic development as well as the roll out of projects as part of the Ayrshire Growth Deal. We look forward to Booth Welsh continued success in the area.”
