Angus-based technical textiles specialist The Wilkie Group has posted a 35% increase in turnover with net profit more than doubling in 2017. The company presented its recently released annual accounts at a Beijing business event.

The group has been at the forefront of innovation in the technical textiles sector for 150 years and has a global footprint that includes manufacturing facilities in Scotland, China and India. The company provides a variety of products, including woven yarns and fabric constructions, reinforced nonwovens, printed substrates and composite reinforcements for many different technical applications, including military, flooring, construction and more.

The Wilkie Group has been operating in China since 2007, and in 2015 it opened a new £5 million purpose-built factory in Jiaxing near Shanghai.

Scottish Development International (SDI), has worked with the Wilkie Group for many years, recently moving the company into its high growth scaling portfolio. “I am delighted to see the significant growth of this innovative Scottish company,” said Julian Taylor, Executive Director for Asia Pacific at SDI, speaking at the event.

“The Wilkie Group developed its market leading Advanced Textile Technology product to stay relevant in an industry whose origins date back hundreds of years, winning new customers. They are delivering significant global growth in terms of both turnover and profits. Their business has world leading manufacturing in both China and Scotland, demonstrating both innovation and collaboration.”

Following Jack Ellis Body Protection’s (a trading division of the Wilkie Group) recent win of a contract to supply protective vests to the Hong Kong Police and Customs authority, valued at £1.6 million, the Wilkie Group invested in state of the art automatic cutting machinery. This enabled it to leverage its Advanced Textile Technology by increasing turn-around speed and offering high volume production of technically advanced protective vests to its domestic and international customers.

A number of contracts from China, Europe, as well as the USA, have also added to significant domestic growth for the group, according to Jean-Christophe Granier, Managing Director, J&D Wilkie. “I believe our recent win of the Hong Kong Police Force tender is a watershed moment for Jack Ellis Body Protection and the Wilkie Group – it recognises we have the right people, working hard in the right direction, to release the undeniable potential of our Advanced Textile Technology in our global market,” he said.

“On behalf of Jack Ellis Body Protection and the Wilkie Group, I would like to thank Scottish Enterprise and SDI for their assistance in making international trade and expansion easier with less barriers, whilst promoting Scotland’s image and skills overseas.”

www.jdwilkie.co.uk