JOHN Watson may head a family firm that can trace its roots back to 1825, but he has kept his mind firmly on the future during his 46 years with the printing business.

At a time of double-dip recession in the UK, coinciding with swingeing public spending cuts from the Coalition Government, John Watson has presided over rises in turnover and profit at the eponymous firm.

This long-distance entrepreneur has proved extremely fleet of foot over the decades in ensuring that when one path becomes rocky he finds another way forward.

He has adapted to the loss of large volumes of printing for electronics giants such as IBM and Compaq, which his firm did in Silicon Glen's boom years, and has generally kept ahead of massive changes in the marketplace

When Mr Watson could not secure funding from the Royal Bank of Scotland for a £3 million label printing press which he considered crucial to securing future business from his key customer base in the drinks industry, he went ahead with the investment anyway and switched to another lender.

Clydesdale Bank's faith in Mr Watson appears to be paying off. And it is good to see the Scotch whisky sector's boom times benefiting other companies north of the Border.

John Watson & Company, in its last financial year to March, achieved a near-20% surge in turnover and an increase in profits. It also paid down its debt and hired staff.

Mr Watson is not retrenching, but rather wants to increase his market share.

He is a splendid example of what can be achieved in even the toughest of sectors with some bold decisions and, crucially, an awareness of a need to invest for the future.