A leading engineering firm whose MD was recently named Cumbria’s Business Person of the Year has signaled its long-term commitment to one of the county’s industrial epicentres.
Forth Engineering has signed a second six-year lease on its Flass Lane base in Barrow-in-Furness, heralding the start of a new chapter for the company in south Cumbria.
Business has soared since a management restructure at the Barrow site earlier this year, with its fabrication unit now managing on order which has limited capacity until the end of 2025.
Projects Director Graham Cartwright met with landlord Andy Pullin earlier this week to negotiate the Flass Lane lease.
He said: “Forth’s Barrow base is a key part of our wider business, and we have been incredibly pleased with the speed at which the new management team has implemented enhanced processes and leveraged relationships to secure some orders of significance from blue chip companies.
“Our strong orderbook along with a committed and experienced team give us huge confidence in the future of Forth Engineering in Barrow – to the degree we were happy to sign a further six year lease.
“We are now actively recruiting, with plans to double the size of the team in Barrow to cope with client demand and create capacity for future enquiries and orders.”
Last week the Barrow team dispatched a consignment of equipment for global infrasructure giants OneSubsea to support the business’ work in the delivery of global power infrastructure.
The order was one of many being worked on by Forth for clients which span the spectrum of businesses from SMEs to market-listed global giants.
Forth has had a base in Barrow since 2017. Forth Fabrications was launched last year from a newly acquired facility in Barrow to support BAE Systems submarine division and other industries across the region, creating five new jobs and helping the company deliver end-to-end solutions to a diverse range of clients.
The existing Barrow team of eight is expected to double to sixteen in the coming months, with an initial focus on the roles of Project Manager, Design Engineer, and Commissioning Engineer.
The extended lease is the second piece of major good news to be celebrated by Forth in the last week.
At the 2024 in-Cumbria Business Awards, held at Dalston Hall on Friday November 29, Forth Managing Director Mark Telford was named Business Person of the Year for the second time.
After collecting the award, he said: “This is for the team. No one person is greater or more important than our shared vision and goal. Everything we achieve, we achieve together.
“Forth has been on a considerable journey and I have been reflecting on this as we enter our 25th year of business.
“Innovation and a ‘yes we can’ attitude has always been at the heart of how we approach the challenges that clients ask for our support in solving.
“That has allowed us to grow and invest in our team, premises and expansion – something of which I am incredibly proud.”
In the last 12 months Forth has increased turnover by 50%, profits have increased, and the firm’s total workforce has grown by 20%.
