BOSSES at a Holme Valley manufacturing firm have set a seven-figure turnover target for the new year – after a busy end to 2012.

Allsops Ltd aims to boost revenues by a further £1m during 2013 as part of its “clear strategic vision” to be the best sheet metal working business in the UK.

Sales and marketing director Robert Machon said: “The strategy relies on identifying new market opportunities in industries such as pharmaceuticals, defence and marine.

“We are focused on acquiring new customers whilst also retaining our existing 700-strong customer base. We have a strong customer service culture and focus heavily on building repeat business.”

Mr Machon said: “Our growth strategy has included a period of rapid expansion of our Honley site and investment in new machinery. We continue to recruit the best people for our business and offer an apprenticeship programme giving us access to the Allsops leaders of the future.”

Paul Goodwin, managing director, is supported by a leadership team comprising Ian Johnons as finance director, Stephane Lericolais, as technical director, Lyndon Tyas as production director and Mr Machon – who is spearheading the roll-out of the new sales and marketing strategy, which includes a new website, brochure and e-marketing.

The company embarks on its new strategy having completed a raft of contracts for high-profile clients, including BT and the Ministry of Defence.

Allsops was asked to refit the data centre at BT's global innovation and development centre in Ipswich. The centre at Adastral Park is recognised as one of the leading centres of technical innovation in the communication world.

The brief was to create a cold aisle containment system. The system contains servers which need to be kept cool at all times. BT needed new units that would keep the back of the servers cool while keeping the front of the units at room temperature.

Mr Machon said: “We performed a full site survey, designed a prototype and built a custom modular system which was fitted at the site. The new cold aisle containment system has surpassed their expectations and allowed BT to save a great deal of energy and money.”

Among other recent contracts, Allsops was asked to help develop futuristic display cabinets for a showcase of the work of the Helen Hamlyn Centre at the Royal College of Art.

Allsops also won the contract to produce four naval landing pontoons for the MOD – taking precision sheet metal applications to new heights.

The main pontoon fabrications weigh in at 45 tonnes each – with a tonne of paint required to coat the combined length of the 65 metres by 6 metre structure.

Said Mr Machon: “This contract has been a wonderful challenge for the Allsops workforce, enabling them to apply a wealth of their sheet metal experience and knowledge in a new uncharted working arena.”

The MoD requested the pontoons be fabricated to aid the loading of its surface fleet in one of its naval dockyards. Due to the shallow depths of water, large vessels are unable to berth, so the pontoons will allow smaller naval vessels to load up and replenish the large ships at sea.

Allsops is one of the UK’s leading sheet metal workers in the UK, operating from 84,000sq ft premises at Honley.

The company, launched in 1959 by Bob Allsop, was a traditional sheet metal subcontractor until the early 1990s when the firm embarked on a period of rapid expansion under managing director Mr Goodwin.

Allsops, which employs 130 people, now works with industries as diverse as defence, travel, retail, energy, communications and manufacturing to produce items including shop shelving, signs, lighting, point-of-sale equipment, cabinets and kiosks.