A Moray precision engineering service company is to benefit from funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards a three-year business expansion and workforce development programme.

FirScot Ltd, based at the Greshop Industrial Estate in Forres, has been awarded £193,000 which will allow it to increase production and fully utilise the Forres facility.

Established in 2001, FirScot is a design and precision engineering service company. FirScot operates in three distinct markets; the Oil and Gas, Technology and Industrial sectors. The company's main market is high precision components for oil and gas companies, mainly out of exotic materials. They also design and manufacture for their technology and industrial clients. Products include subsea enclosures for cameras, lights, electronic control pods and ROV tools. Bespoke computer controlled industrial process machines and repair and improvement of existing equipment.

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In October 2009, FirScot signed a strategic alliance with AJ Engineering of Forres, offering customers a comprehensive range of engineering services from fabrication to high tech CNC machining. The company also possesses skills helping it to explore the expanding renewable energy sector.

Currently, FirScot has seven full time and two part time employees, but the investment programme will create around eight additional skilled manufacturing posts over the next three years. The company is currently advertising to recruit skilled engineering personnel.

David Reid, Head of Business Growth for the Moray Area Office of HIE, said: "We have been working with FirScot since they started and the company is going from strength to strength. They are a preferred subcontractor to a number of blue chip organisations and this investment programme will allow it to target new markets and larger projects across the UK and eventually abroad, resulting in a substantial increase in sales over the next three to five years."

Burgess Hay from FirScot, commented: "We are delighted with the assistance the HIE are giving us, the move to our purpose built facility in Forres has been challenging but are now in a position to allow the company to go forward and reach its potential.

"Our alliance with AJ Engineering has allowed us to take on projects we previously would have not been able to, as our combined skill sets make it there a very few engineering projects we would not have the ability to do.

"A very recent example, AJE were refurbishing the expansion joints on the Kessock Bridge and we were able to manufacture and modify components at very short notice to enable an earlier handover of the bridge."

(GK)