Typhoon success bucks economic trend

Good news this week from Typhoon International – the company has enjoyed a strong sales period.

The retail and manufacturing sectors in the UK have suffered through the ongoing economic crisis. Sadly, the diving industry is not immune. Many businesses have either thrown in the towel or gone under. Two notables include Gul, and drysuit manufacturer Polar Bears, which went into administration last month.

But UK stalwart Typhoon, based in Redcar, Teeside, has been able to announce a profit. The company says this is thanks to record export sales and the success of their military and commercial products. Typhoon took an order for thousands of suits from the UK MOD across the range of products the company supplies to them, as well as large orders for other militaries around the world.

Orders were also taken for commercial suits for the oil and gas industry, and then there’s the RNLI, which recently ordered hundreds more suits for 2012.

Typhoon Chief Executive, Peter Bibby, said: “2011 has been a tough year for the UK retail side of our business to continue its growth but our factory has been full with commercial and military orders.

“We look forward to our 65th birthday in 2012 with a good order book and the confidence of having been through tough times before.”

Mr Bibby added, “But, despite being one of the oldest companies in the business and reaching 65, we are not planning on retiring..”