Moray business plans to expand

Moray engineering company Forsyths Ltd is to enhance its production facilities at Buckie quayside with the help of funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). HIE is contributing £148,260 towards the cost of adapting the company's existing building and a further £18,804 towards workforce development at its Rothes base.

The facility will allow Forsyths Ltd to ship many more of their products from the quayside, reducing the amount of road transport required and strengthening the role of Buckie harbour as the main commercial harbour in Moray. It will also allow Forsyths Ltd to continue servicing their existing clients while increasing capacity.

Forsyths Ltd is the largest and main unit within the Forsyths Group which includes Forblast Ltd, Grants (Dufftown) Ltd, G&A Construction and McCormacks. Collectively, these businesses employ 285 staff and provide a complete service to clients in the oil and gas and distillation sectors, from design to manufacture and assembly.

 David Reid, senior development manager for HIE in Moray, said: "The Forsyths Group is at the heart of many of the local communities in Moray and the additional investment in both its workforce and workshops will add to the effectiveness of the business, especially in the current competitive and challenging economic climate."

Richard Forsyth, managing director for Forsyths Group, said: "The expansion of the business is a direct result of the increase in demand in the distilling, oil and gas sectors. We operate in a global marketplace and so additional investment in our infrastructure and workforce will help us to remain competitive internationally."