A Gloucestershire firm which builds temperature-controlled rooms to house vital computer and IT equipment, as well as hospital theatres and pharmaceutical labs, has posted record turnover and profits.
BladeRoom Group’s data centres are described as ‘mission critical’ for its customers, who include the government, private businesses and the healthcare sector – in the UK and increasingly overseas.
The nation’s drive towards a digital economy, fueled by the rush to go online through the pandemic – and BladeRoom’s position as a market-leader – has helped drive its growth and create jobs in the county.
The group’s ModuleCo business has also designed, built and supplied acute isolation wards to NHS trusts during the Covid-19 pandemic.
William Thornton, chief executive officer at Bishops Cleeve-headquartered BladeRoom, said: ‘The performance of the company during the financial period (to the end of March 2021) saw increased activity that resulted in a significance increase in turnover to £78.9 million from £50 million in 2020.
‘Operating profit for the year was £5.8 million (up from £2.1 million in 2020). The company recorded a profit before taxation of £8.5 million (up from £4.1 million in 2020).’
The growth continues the trajectory set by the previous year’s trading, which saw turnover rise ‘significantly’ in the year to March 2020, from £41.6 million to £49.9 million, and operating profit increase from £1.8 million to £2.1 million.
Paul Rogers, designed industrial kitchens before coming up with what is credited with being the world’s first air-cooled computer server room and founding BladeRoom in 2008.
Today the business makes its high performance ‘factory-built modular data centres’ at its Forest of Dean factory and in the last year increased staff numbers from 68 to 75.
By Andrew Merrell
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