Bolton: New £6m contract awarded to Booth Industries

Booth Industries has strengthened its position in the defence market through this contract.

The contract comes 12 months after Booth was awarded a similar contract, which continues the company’s impressive turnaround since its acquisition by Avingtrans PLC in 2019.

Mike Jenkinson, managing director at Booth Industries, said: “The contract is a great way to start 2022 and reinforces our position as the leading specialist door supplier in the nuclear and defence industries.

“Every solution designed and manufactured by our team has to meet exacting performance standards, in this case being capable of withstanding ballistic attack, fire and other serious security threats. 

“Winning this contract not only recognises our ability to design and manufacture reliable, performance-assured solutions for this security-critical industry, but also our growing reputation for delivery and aftercare, which is built on decades of experience in the sector.”

Austen Adams, managing director of Avingtrans’ Process Solutions and Rotating Equipment division, which is home to Booth Industries, added: “We’re delighted that the Booth success story continues to gather momentum, with the business making a strong contribution to the division’s growing profile in the nuclear industry.   

“The team has created a strong order pipeline and, with a new manufacturing facility that takes its overall manufacturing capacity to 6,400m2, it also has the capacity it needs to support continuing growth. 

“When we acquired the assets of the business in 2019, we could not have foreseen the challenges that would be thrown up by the Covid-19 pandemic over the next two years, but the team has pulled together tremendously during that time, turning around the business and creating strong foundations on which to build.

“It’s exciting times for everyone associated with the business and we’re looking forward to delivering another critical infrastructure project for one of our key customers.”

Booth also received a £36m contract in December 2021 for the HS2 rail line, which was thought to generate 50 new jobs.

During HS2 CEO Mark Thurston's visit, with managing director Mike Jenkinson and the project team

Mark Thurston, chief executive for the high-speed rail bid, visited the Nelson Street factory, where 303 safety doors for HS2 are being manufactured.

The safety doors will be fire protected for the cross passages along Phases 1 and 2a of the HS2 route, from London to the West Midlands and the West Midlands to Crewe, which will provide a safe means of escape in the event of a fire.

The doors will be crucial in the operation of the railway, sealing off the cross passageways between the separate north and southbound tunnels.