The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Pro-Duct hits 25 with order books of £5m
When Brian Dempster purchased second-hand equipment to start a Fife business, he never imagined it growing as it has.
The roots of Pro-Duct go back 25 years when he bought an old dairy workshop in Kingskettle.
His son, also Brian, left school at the age of 16 to join the business. The pair started making benches and sheet metal for local factories.
Securing a key contract helped make the company’s reputation – manufacturing ductwork for a brewery in Edinburgh.
Today Pro-Duct is one of the industry’s leading firms in manufacturing and installing ducting and ventilation.
From its humble beginnings and £30,000 turnover in its first year, the firm now has 60 staff, five business arms and annual sales of £5.2 million.
Brian Jr, who succeeded his father as managing director two years ago, believes it is the firm’s emphasis on family values and its staff that is behind its success.
He said: “My dad built strong relationships with clients and staff, which has made a positive impact since day one.
“Pro-Duct’s growth has been built around the culture of the organisation, paving the way for success, providing a positive working environment for the team.
“We’ve got some members of staff who have been with us for more than 20 years.”
The business added two premises and three staff after its first year. It then made a major investment in its current 20,000 sq ft production facility in Cardenden in 2006.
“We invest in the latest machinery and are known for responding quickly to customer requirements,” Brian added. “What I’m most proud of is that we’ve maintained the company values as we’ve grown.”
The group can manufacture and install complex systems into a wide range of projects, including the ventilation system in V&A Dundee, which was worth £1m and took around a year to complete. One of their most complicated projects came in 2021 at the Velneva vaccine manufacturing site in Livingston.
“We also plan to develop our staff and provide internal progression – recently we made our business development manager Craig Condie a director,” Brian said.