It has been yet another successful year for Meech International, as the company reported a healthy 11% increase in overall sales for its FY2012-13, during what can only be described as turbulent economic times. While there has been steady growth throughout Europe, it was a consistently positive performance in China in particular that resulted in a rise in sales in the region of 45%, a solid increase on the previous year’s figure. 

With exports accounting for 81% of overall sales, Meech’s CEO Chris Francis commented on the company’s overall success: “As one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of static control and web-cleaning systems, we are constantly looking to explore new markets abroad and not focus exclusively on business in the UK and mainland Europe. This year saw a lot of our growth come from China, but at the same time we also recognised Latin America as an emerging market worth investing in, and it has now been incorporated into our strategic growth plan.”

The latest sales figures indicate that Meech’s static knowledge was of key importance. Having made significant investment in Q1 with the launch of its brand new Hyperion static range, further enhancements were made to the products in the initial part of 2013. In addition, a particular focus was put on the launch of the CyClean™ non-contact web-cleaner, which has strengthened the company’s web-cleaning product offering - allowing customers to choose from a complete range, and has been rapidly taken up in the market.

Following this steady and consistent increase in sales over not just 2013 but also the past few years, Meech also expanded and reorganised its production areas. In early September 2013 Meech leased an additional building located close to its head office. The 4000 sq. feet property is now the main production facility for web-cleaners, as well as its IonRinse and JetStream product ranges. The new building also houses research, development and engineering for all Meech product ranges, including the static control and Meech Air Technology ranges. This has freed up additional space in the main building for increased production of both the static and MAT ranges. The reorganisation has also allowed the creation of a dedicated training and testing area that gives Meech the opportunity to train customers and distributors from around the world.

Combining all of these factors: additional products, expansion into new markets and new premises, the company has also increased its resources, employing a further four staff in the UK, ranging from positions such as Production Managers and Web Cleaning Specialists to roles across other departments, including sales, accounts and manufacturing. This takes the total number of full time staff to 62, which is expected to grow during 2014.

“In order to introduce new products to the market, we have invested heavily in our premises and our sales structure to ensure we have the right equipment and personnel to service our clients in the various industries we operate in,” explains Chris. “We have employed additional people at our headquarters, as well as distributors in many of the emerging and growing markets. As a result, throughout 2013 we held a series of training courses for these distributors from around the world, including South Africa, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil and Australia. It is a great way to strengthen our working relationships whilst also guaranteeing that the Meech brand is being successfully represented abroad.”