NEW owners of a long-established engineering firm are celebrating a record-breaking year despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tadweld which was founded in 1978 to create steel and engineering solutions for Tadcaster’s local breweries, businesses and farming community has seen a revenue increase of 23 per cent and a 97 per cent increase in profit in 2019/20.

The positive results are from the first full financial year with Richard Byfield, John Denton, Iain Leedham, Paul Rose and Kevin Wheelock at the helm.

They bring a wealth of manufacturing, operational and financial experience to the Tadcaster-based firm which now works with global brands including Coca Cola, Britvic, Guinness, Nestle, Diageo and Tetra Pak.

It provides innovative steel solutions from a team of highly-skilled engineers, installing time-critical platforms and walkways which are often the base for significant production line investment.

As well as driving positive financial results, the new team has led on a rebrand of Tadweld including a new logo and a new website.

With a large proportion of Tadweld’s customers being in the food and drink sector, the company plays a vital role in these supply chains and has continued to operate throughout the Covid-19 crisis wherever safe and possible.

With the sudden spike in demand experienced by these sectors when the lockdown was imposed in March, Tadweld worked closely with its key customers to install new lines and increase production capacity, keeping supply moving.

Chris Joy, operational director who has been part of the Tadweld team for more than 25 years, sits on the board of directors along with the new owners.

New chairman and director Paul Rose, formerly an EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Manufacturing, said: “This fantastic business opportunity was brought to the team of investors by Richard Byfield who had known the previous owner and the business for many years.

"In a very short time, we have seen some amazing results, improving efficiency, growing revenues and increasing profits during a hugely challenging period for many UK manufacturers.

“The new board is excited to build on these encouraging results whilst retaining a firm commitment to working with our highly-trained specialist engineers to provide the innovative, practical solutions that have been the cornerstone of Tadweld’s success for decades.”