Lichfield based business SE Controls celebrates 30 years in business this summer and still has ambitious plans for the future. After investing over £1,000,000 to acquire new premises at Fradley Park, Lichfield supported by Barclays Corporate, the company now plan to expand into their new 21,000 square foot site, adjacent to their existing premises. 

The business which is a specialist provider of smoke and natural ventilation systems has seen turnover rise to over £10 million and currently employs 75 staff. This is expected to rise to over 100 over the next 3 years to meet demand for the company's products and expansion into overseas markets.

Will Perkins, Managing Director of this family business said "My father set up the business 30 years ago from scratch and we have always followed a strategy of reinvesting profits into the business. This has enabled us to grow at a rate which is manageable, sustainable and built on strong foundations. We have been able to adapt our business to survive within our industry but also to realise opportunities when they have presented themselves. Our investment in our new premises is another example of us taking the necessary steps to enable our business to 'kick on' both domestically and internationally"

Will Perkins continues "Our core business of providing full turnkey life safety smoke and heat exhaust ventilation systems to all types of buildings especially apartments and multi occupancy accommodation continues to grow and we are proud to be market leaders. But we recognise we cannot stand still and we are pursuing an aggressive new product development program incorporating research projects with Loughborough University and University College London. This research has focused on developing methods of harnessing naturally occurring elements to control the internal built environment in a low energy and sustainable manner. The results of this research have been directly fed into new products, which will be launched in  the autumn of 2011." 

Mike Corcoran, Barclays Corporate Relationship Director, said "Barclays is committed to using our industry expertise and specialists to support such propositions, which are vital to a prosperous economy. By really understanding the business Barclays Corporate has been able to provide innovative solutions to support SE Controls both financially and professionally throughout its history. Investment in the new premises in this competitive market demonstrates both Barclays Corporate and SE Controls' confidence in the continued growth and success of the business." 

Will Perkins, Managing Director at SE Controls said "The expansion into the new premises will provide much needed warehousing and increased production facilities but will also enable us to create a research and development centre which will allow our continuous and innovative new product development program to flourish. The group is now operating on a truly global basis having offices in the Far East, the Middle East, Southern Africa, India and Brazil and our new facilities and IT infrastructure are essential to support our growing export business. We fully expect non UK sales to account for an increasing percentage of our business in the coming years."