Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, Scotland: Temperature-controlled lorry trailer manufacturer Gray & Adams is bucking the trend with a sharp rise in pre-tax profits to £4.2 million.
The company’s financial results for the year to April 30 2011 showed sales at the family-owned firm rose 26.8% to £109m. This translated into a 186.5% increase in pre-tax earnings from £1.5m to £4.2m. Panel beater Jim Gray and mechanic Jim Adams set up the company in 1957 as a car body repair showroom. The company went on to produce some of the first insulated containers for the transport of perishable goods. It now has sites in Dunfermline, Doncaster and Newton-abbey in Northern Ireland.
Traditionally, the company’s core product portfolio has included a complete range of refrigerated trailers and rigid bodies but twin and lifting deck trailers now make up a large proportion of production, both in dry freight and refrigerated configurations.
Market demand has also prompted Gray & Adams to diversify the product range to include refrigerated storage solutions, insulated side access loading trailers and mobile shop facilities as well as highly specified chick carrying and prisoner escort vehicles. The range also incorporates the conversion of panel vans for temperature-controlled operations.
