An employee-owned Scottish company which produces bespoke campervans is celebrating record turnover.
Jerba Campervans, based in North Berwick, said it had recorded its “best opening two quarters ever”, with turnover from January to June reaching £1.8 million.
This is up around £600,000 on the figure for the same period of last year.
Founder Simon Poole, describing the first half as “stellar”, flagged investments in the firm’s operations, a return to a regular supply chain following post-Covid delays, and “real focus” by employees on improving productivity as the main reasons for the success.
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The uptick in business has led the North Berwick company to forecast record turnover of £3.8m for the full year. This would be around £800,000 more than the previous record annual turnover achieved in 2021.
Mr Poole said: “This growth reflects the hard work and dedication of our team, and our commitment to providing high-quality, bespoke campervans to our customers.
“We have made significant improvements to our workshop, which is enabling us to deliver more campervans, more often.”
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He added: “We hope that this stellar first half of the year will propel us to our projected record turnover, and act as a catalyst for further growth in the years ahead.”
Jerba Campervans added 200 square metres to its production floor and this expanded space has been in operation since January, enabling the firm to diversify its customer offering into “habitation checks” and vehicle servicing, while also increasing overall campervan production by around 20%.
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The firm has also invested in a new computer numerical cutting machine. The technology allows Jerba’s carpenters and technicians to cut a range of materials to highly accurate measurements, including laminated wood and vinyl flooring. This enables specific materials to be pre-cut to a high-quality standard, allowing Jerba’s team to make final finishing, detailed cuts and then assemble the campervans in a shorter overall timeframe.
Jerba said it had set its sights on a new partnership with automotive giant Ford.
The Scottish firm noted that, with the Ford Transit Custom now launched, it is already working on new campervan designs for the vehicle.
Jerba declared it is “optimistic of announcing a formal partnership with Ford by the end of this year”.
After moving its staff of 16 to a four-day working week at the start of 2024, Jerba celebrated six years of employee ownership in January.
Jerba said: “The company is dedicated to promoting the employee ownership model within the local community, enhancing its reputation, and sharing its knowledge and ethos.”
The North Berwick firm declared that it “offers flexibility in working with customers to create bespoke solutions tailored to their needs”.
It claimed that this personalised approach, combined with its commitment to employee ownership, sets it apart in the campervan market.
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