A Colne Valley company is expanding its premises to meet growing demand for its products.

Hystat Systems Ltd, which makes heavy hydraulic cylinders for industries including oil and gas, power generation, steel and aluminium production and mining, has extended floorspace at its premises in New Street, Slaithwaite, by 800sq metres.

The extra floorspace has been created to the rear of the premises by digging into an existing embankment and extending the depth of the existing factory by 15 metres.

Once building work is completed in the next few weeks, the new space will provide more room for the firm’s fitting shop and two-bay machine shop.

The firm already rents a large part of a neighbouring industrial unit to house its repair department and for storage.

Company managing director Ray Wadsworth said: “We started digging out a few years ago, but the recession hit and we called a halt.

“Now we have taken advantage of the improving economic climate to complete the project.

“Things started picking up about a year-and-a-half ago.

“Some of our competitors had been taken over, but some have not performed as well as others and we have been able to take advantage of that.”

Mr Wadsworth said Hystat – which employs 102 people – was now doing a lot of work for the offshore industry in Norway.

But he added: “We are still producing goods that go all over the world. We have also won a major contract to provide equipment for a hydro-electric power programme in China.”

Among previous contracts, Hystat has supplied equipment for various applications including a Russian aluminium plate mill and a a pipe-laying shipboard tower in Korea.

Other projects include equipment for a ro-ro ferry bridge in the Shetlands and aircraft platform lifts for the Royal Navy.

Hystat has an enviable track record for growth.

It was formed in Huddersfield in 1976, but moved to its current site at Spa Fields Industrial Estate, Slaithwaite in 1982 – since when the premises have been extended three times before this latest expansion project.

In 1986, Hystat bought the intellectual property and some machinery from the receivers of Spenborough Engineering Ltd.

It followed that up in 1992 when the drawings and commercial records of Cattermole Hydraulics Ltd, a hydraulics company including Weston Hydraulics, were purchased from the receiver.

In 2004, the group acquired a local sub contract company, Bank Bottom Engineering Services, which had been operating from its site in Honley since 1952.

And five years ago, Hystat acquired the assets of Titan Manufacturing, a hydraulic cylinder manufacturer in Halifax.