WHILE Scottish firms face intense competition from China this week's SME Focus features a business that has harnessed the country's manufacturing muscle to boost its growth prospects.

Name:

Jean-Christophe Granier.

Age:

32.

What is your business called?

J&D Wilkie and Wilkie Offshore.

Where is it based?

Kirriemuir in Angus and we also have bases in China, India and Japan.

What does it produce?

For 148 years, J&D Wilkie has been a global leader of Advanced Textile Technology™. From our headquarters in Kirriemuir and manufacturing site in China, we provide a wide range of woven fabrics with commercial and industrial applications, including body armour for security and aid organisations.

Wilkie Offshore is a ‘start-up’ company within the Group which delivers textile technologies with a wide range of applications in the offshore oil and gas industry. Wilkie Offshore processes and manufactures raw material fibres into textiles that perform in the most extreme environments.

Whom does it sell to?

J&D Wilkie sells to multiple sectors in international markets. Wilkie Offshore sells to the whole spectrum of the energy industry from firms that operate oil and gas fields to service companies.

What is its turnover?

The J&D Wilkie Group has a turnover of £20 million.

How many employees?

We are recruiting in the next year but at the moment we have 90 employees in Kirriemuir, of which six are Wilkie Offshore staff.

When was it formed?

J&D Wilkie was formed in 1868 and Wilkie Offshore in August 2013.

Why did you take the plunge?

When I first joined J&D Wilkie the company wasn’t selling anything to the oil and gas industry, despite being perfectly positioned to do so. We did a bit of market research, and realised our knowledge and experience in textiles could transform operations offshore. We agreed on the concept of Wilkie Offshore and went for it. The dramatic dip in oil prices has been well documented, but rather than hinder our development, we feel a number of opportunities have become available to us as a result. At the moment there is an appetite for change in the industry and a willingness to try something new in order to streamline operations.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

Before I joined J&D Wilkie I was a successful solicitor in Aberdeen. I had done my traineeship at Esslemont Cameron Gauld and worked my way up to associate partner at the age of 25. I then worked at Stronachs as an associate partner. I had become more and more interested in business and enjoyed meetings with energy clients. My brother-in-law Hamish is part of the Wilkie family and was already working as a director at Wilkie. He had been trying to convince me for years to join the company and in 2012, I finally said yes. In the future I am likely to acquire equity in the company.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

We discussed it within J&D Wilkie and raised capital from within the business. We then invested a six figure sum in Wilkie Offshore.

What was your biggest break?

My biggest break with Wilkie Offshore was when I got a phone call from a friend working at a large service company. He was looking to hire air hoists urgently. This was at the very beginning of Wilkie Offshore and it wasn’t something we produced. We worked flat out and in four days cross hired hoists, negotiated contracts and got the order on the boat. It sounds dramatic but this was the moment that really made Wilkie Offshore.

During my earlier career as a lawyer it was my grandad who got me my traineeship after graduating. I gave up a lot to come and work at J&D Wilkie and there have been both good times and bad. It may have been a risky move but it worked and I’m glad I did it.

What was your worst moment?

Like many companies, J&D Wilkie suffered at tough economic times and I feel we lost some excellent systems and processes we had in place. We have been working hard to build these up again and are enjoying the current growth the company is experiencing.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

That no two days are the same. I enjoy tackling challenges to make things better.

What do you least enjoy?

I am quite used to paperwork from being a lawyer and I don’t mind doing it. However, I itch to be working on business development and bringing new orders in. I don’t like being taken away from the things that I’m good at to complete paperwork tasks.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

The ambition for the J&D Wilkie Group is to get back up to a higher turnover and to open a base in America. We recently had the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, helping us to open up our new factory in Jiaxing which will help us continue to build in Asia.

For Wilkie Offshore we would like to break the £1million turnover barrier this year and then the sky’s the limit. We also hope to develop a second factory on our site in Kirriemuir.

What are your top priorities?

To drive the profitability of Wilkie Offshore; to continue to expand our fabrication facilities in Scotland and China; to open a US base; to ensure our workforce is driving the company together in the same direction; to improve and streamline our systems and procedures.

What single thing would most help?

Some improvement in the way we communicate to our team, which is something we are currently working on, and some investment support from government.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?

We are currently trying to develop a building on our site at Kirriemuir, called the Gairie, into another factory. We had planning permission granted but complications meant it was then revoked. It would be great to have some more help to make the second factory happen. We plough a lot of money into the local area and the opening of the Gairie would be a huge assistance to help our company flourish.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

The importance of good communication. It is amazing how many times I thought I had communicated to my team well but there has been a breakdown and I clearly haven’t. It doesn’t matter whose fault it is, when there is a breakdown in communication it shows how critical the function is.

How do you relax?

I like spending time with my family. I’ve got a little boy who is three years old and a seven month old baby daughter who take up a lot of my time. When I’m not doing that I enjoy playing golf or watching Manchester United play football. I also enjoy live music and go to gigs in my spare time.