A UK lock manufacturer reports that it has passed the million pound barrier for overseas sales. Pickersgill-Kaye Ltd says 2015 proved another profitable year, boosted by significant orders for its train locking products from South East Asia and cell door locks and hatches for custodial facilities in the Republic of Ireland. The Leeds-based company saw overall sales increase to £3.5m for the year ending November 2015.
Pickersgill-Kaye, which designs and produces locks and safety products for the rail, security and custodial industries, won overseas contracts worth £1.1m – around 30pc of all sales and up from £638,300 in 2014. The firm saw orders from more than a dozen countries including its biggest single order to date, manufacturing emergency door releases for the Class 800 and 801 trains being supplied by Hitachi Rail Europe for the multi-billion pound Intercity Express Programme (IEP).
Pickersgill-Kaye is supplying the Emergency Egress Device (EED) and Emergency Access Device (EAD) for the passenger carriage doors of the IEP trains, in a multi-million pound contract that runs to 2020.
There was a major order for passenger alarm units from Axion Technologies in North America for fitting to new-build Toronto Transit ‘Rocket’ subway cars, while locomotive cab door locks, hammer boxes and break panels were supplied to train companies in Canada, New Zealand and the United States.
After breaking into the China market with its custodial products in 2014, supplying cell door locks for the railway satellite police stations on the route of the new Hong Kong-China Express Rail Link, Pickersgill-Kaye continues to make inroads with its specialist hose connector equipment supplied to Meggitts.
Meanwhile in Europe, Pickersgill-Kaye manufactured emergency hammer boxes and break panels for a tram project in Belgium and trains in Germany, cab door locks for Switzerland, emergency break access panels for Austria and an ongoing supply of loco door locks for the Bombardier Traxx locos.
Pickersgill-Kaye’s Director – Business Development, Harry Griffiths, said: “We are delighted to report that we almost doubled our overseas sales compared to the previous year, despite the continuing weakness of the Eurozone. Global sales are making an important contribution to our business.”
