The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Worldwide £5 million orders for Angus firm
ENGINEERING: Local companies to benefit from John M Henderson’s success, and more work in pipeline
Forfar- based company John M Henderson Machines has won a series of orders worth around £5 million for coke oven machinery.
The firm pledged that a significant part of the manufacturing work will go to sub-contractors in Tayside, and said more big orders are in the pipeline.
The contracts secured over the last eight months are for the engineering, manufacture and installation of coke oven machinery in Brazil, China, Argentina and the UK.
The largest, worth around £4m, is to provide state-of-the art pollution control equipment for ArcelorMittal’s Tubarao facility in Brazil.
The contracts will take almost two years to complete, safeguard the existing 15 posts at John M Henderson and allow the company to employ more staff.
Coke is a byproduct of coal used as a fuel or a reducing agent in blast furnaces for the smelting of iron ore.
It is one of the fundamental materials for producing iron and steel and Henderson’s supply coke oven machinery to the international steel industry.
The Forfar operation houses sales and marketing, design, procurement, project management, finance, installation and commissioning functions with manufacturing carried out elsewhere.
Developed over more than 60 years, the company’s products are recognised as market leaders because of their pollution control and automated qualities.
More than 200 JMH coke oven machines have been installed worldwide, helping coke plants reduce harmful coke oven emissions and perform to the highest standards.
Managing director Gary McCombie said: “These contracts form a solid foundation from which to drive forward with our next stage of business growth.
“We are anticipating further successes with a number of other major contracts in the pipeline.”
He added “A significant portion of the contract values will be invested in the UK supply chain with substantial contracts being placed in Angus and Tayside, therefore sharing the company’s success with local suppliers.”
Engineering company John M Henderson was formerly in Arbroath but in 2014 it went into administration. Otto Simon Holdings bought its coke oven machinery division and moved it to a new base in North Street, Forfar.
We are anticipating further successes with a number of other major contracts in the pipeline. GARY MCCOMBIE