By Scott Wright
A PERTHSHIRE company which provides digital solutions for the farming sector is on course to report record turnover after securing contracts in the UK, Ireland, South Africa and Australia.
Duradiamond, which has developed an app to make it easier for farmers to manage their livestock, said turnover in the first four months of its financial year outstripped the 2018 total, with year to date sales reaching £203,000. It is forecasting sales of £250,000 this year, around three times higher than its previous record of £79,157.
The growth has come on the back of a series of contract wins, including two-year distribution deal worth more than £350,000 with Allflex UK, the animal identification technology firm, in the UK and Ireland. Duradiamond also inked a one-year exclusive distribution agreement worth £73,000 with a partner in South Africa, and contracts valued at £65,250 with two distribution partners in Australia.
The expansion has led the firm to increase its headcount to five full-time staff, with plans to add a further two in early 2020. The firm said it has benefited from support from Business Gateway.
Jamie Pugh, who co-founded Duradiamond with Ewen Wardman and Jim Holland, said: “As a small business with limited resources, we realised that, without significant support, we were going to struggle to complete the development of our essential new products. However, the support from Business Gateway, both financial and advisory, has been instrumental in achieving our recent product launches. The access to grant funding and the technical advice on offer was essential to the development of both iLivestock and eWeigh. Additionally, tools such as the strategic workshop helped us transform our innovative products into a commercial success. Being able to access specialist advice from Business Gateway has allowed us to meet all challenges and set our business on a firm footing for success.”
Andrew Webster at Business Gateway said: “The new business wins, increased workforce and growing revenue is testament to the strong vision and ambition of the team at Duradiamond Software.”
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