Expansion plans taking off for Dundee aerospace business after HSBC backing

ATL Turbine Services (ATL) is putting its expansion plans into practice and reaping the rewards, thanks to more than £450,000 of funding from HSBC.

The Dundee-based business, which repairs aero-engines and industrial turbine components, has been using the finance to replace old machinery with new, modern equipment, in turn leading to new contract wins both in the UK and internationally.

These new contracts have contributed to export growth increasing by 322 per cent since 2016, with 25 per cent of turnover now coming from overseas, including Germany, Canada, Japan, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland.

The growth has also allowed ATL to increase employee numbers from 58 to 72 in the past year, hiring a number of customer service, management, operations and workshop roles. Further job creation is expected over the next 12 months.

ATL chief executive, Dale Harris, said: “The finance from HSBC has enabled us to take the business from strength to strength, increasing our capacity, employee numbers and overall turnover. In doing so, we’ve started to future-proof the business and been able to ensure that skills are maintained in the local area.”

Susan Rowand, HSBC’s head of business banking in Scotland, added: “ATL’s success in recent years is commendable and a product of its commitment to customer service and maintaining and improving skills in Dundee. We look forward to ATL’s bright future.”

The finance was allocated from HSBC’s national £10 billion SME fund to actively support UK SMEs. £500 million is specifically designated to support Scottish firms and rebalance the economy outside of London.