Zero to One Million+ in 3 Years for Process Control & Automation Services Startup

Co. Durham based Retroflo is celebrating major success as it enters into its third year of business with a record turnover, mass employment figures and some exciting future projects under its belt.

Based in South Hetton – the company provides electrical and mechanical engineering as well as control and automation services on a nationwide basis. The company spent its first five years of business investing heavily in R&D from 2007 – 2012 before commercialising its patented pump control system in 2013. Since then the company has gone from strength to strength going from a £60,000 turnover in year 1 to a phenomenal £1.7 million turnover in years 2 – 3.

Set up by company directors Andy Laundon and Lee Bishton, Retroflo has employed 29 members of staff since its launch in 2013, including 4 apprentices, and has plans in place to employ a further 11 staff members by this time next year.

Retroflo hit its first major landmark within a few weeks of establishment by being accepted onto the framework for Sunderland City Council, this success quickly escalated as the company started working for major firms such as Northumbrian Water, Persimmon Homes, Lumsden and Carroll and Seymour Civil Engineering.

The company’s success is also enormously benefitting the local area – not only in providing jobs for the local people – it’s also a huge advocate of the local Rob Todd Community Centre where they have provided electrical work free of charge and assisted with costs to provide a children’s trip to the local Tweddle Hill Farm. Retroflo is also the main sponsor of the local village cricket club.

Several extensions have already been made to the company’s existing offices to cater for the rapidly expanding workforce and a move to larger, more accommodating premises will soon be needed, though the company will stay true to its North East roots and will remain in the local area.

Andy Laundon, Operations Director said “Giving back to the community is immensely important to us, it’s great to see us making a direct difference by providing local jobs in the village and helping out with the local community centre and sports clubs. We are passionate about supporting the local economy where possible”

Lee and I had worked in the industry for a number of years before setting up Retroflo so we had a lot of existing relationships which assisted with the initial launch of the business.  From then on it’s been hard work and determination to get to where we are today. When we gain a customer – they stay with us and that’s down to being honest and doing what we’ll say we do. “

And if this isn’t enough success for the young company – Retroflo is involved in the design and project management of a 16 storey apartment block in Hemmel Hempstead for Corona Properties – a market leader in energy efficient and renewable developments. The building combines a number of renewable energy technologies such as solar, wind power, hydroelectricity and ground source heat pumps and is set to be the most energy efficient building in the UK. Retroflo will be responsible for the design and installation of the buildings control and automation systems along with the renewable technology, with work due to start on site in 2016. This building is the first of a long list of energy efficient and world changing development planned by Corona properties

“For us – nothing is impossible and I think this is what makes us different. If a client has the will and want to make something work, we will work hard to engineer a solution – as proven with the sustainable building project and our patented control system. Where some companies walk away from a project thinking it can’t be done – we work hard to show that it can be – after all impossible actually spells I’m possible.”

Based in South Hetton Industrial Estate, Retroflo offer end-to-end MEICA (mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and automation) services including electrical project consultancy, design, implementation, commissioning, maintenance and optimisation.