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Promotion to CEO marks plans for major growth for Thurston Building Systems

Jonathan Petch has been promoted from Managing Director to the role of Chief Executive of Thurston Building Systems with effect from October 2006.

It’s a fitting reflection to the changes ahead for the Thurston Group which this year celebrated a record number of orders on the books since it began over 30 years ago.

His promotion heralds a change in the management structure of the company, as the last of the original four shareholders of the Thurston Group. Mr Eric Mould is retiring as Financial Director and will take up a non-executive role in the company in 12-months time.

For Mr Petch, the move illustrates a growing confidence in the Thurston business for both products and projects. The three year plan for the company predicts turn over will be doubled with the possibility of a new manufacturing plant or a major expansion of one of the existing sites.

Of his new role as Chief Executive, Mr Petch said: “This move is commensurate with the size of the company and is a more fitting title for a contemporary company. We have enjoyed our best financial year to date, employee numbers are now up to 350. When I started in 1997, we had 80 employees, we now have over 100 people in our Birkenhead manufacturing site alone. We have achieved this from a standing start in just two and a half years.”

“We are looking to double our turnover over the next three years and that means more jobs, expansion to another location or possibly a new manufacturing plant. I am confident we are going to see some real growth into new markets, particularly in providing new prison and Police Detention Cells.

“We are at the second stage of intensive testing for our prison accommodation and police cell prototyping. We are very confident that we will pass this test as we have had first class results at stage one. If this is achieved we should receive Home Office approval which will mean ‘all systems go’ for the Thurston team.”

Other significant areas of growth for the company are in the health care industry and education. Thurston has a £5 million contract to provide student accommodation blocks for Askham Bryan College, York. The results are such that the company is already using the campus to showcase its products to potential new clients.

The company has just completed a major project at a northern hospital and anticipate more work in both the location and the health sector. Construction speed and flexibility are winning over new fans to the concept of modular building. Thurston is one of only a handful of companies that can provide bespoke building solutions over and above two storeys and is the market leader in products such as ‘Surefire’ an anti-vandal, flame resistant facility, that can be built to a customers specification.

The business is also expanding in Ireland with joint-venture partners Allspace securing six sport projects within eight months. The emerald Isle is also looking a very promising prospect to develop projects in the health industry and the prison service and these will be new markets to explore in the New Year.

The Thurston HQ is based in Horbury, Wakefield but continued growth and expansion has lead to further development of the Birkenhead operation. Thurston Building Systems now employs a workforce of over 350 people with an ever increasing annual turnover in excess of £25m.

Email: tracy@thinkingpr.com