The UK's highest accolade for business success has been awarded to Chamber members J&D Wilkie, a family business which has been operating from Kirriemuir for 144 years. J&D Wilkie now manufactures technical textiles with a primary market for filtration fabrics. The company also designs and manufactures ballistic and stab resistant body armour vests under the brand name of Jack Ellis.
The company set up production in China five years ago in response to market demand, enabling them to become a global supplier for the technical textiles market and resulting in increased activity in Kirriemuir. The award coincides with their recent investment of £0.5M in a state-of-the-art yarn spinning unit in their factory in China, which will help secure the raw materials required for Kirriemuir.
Bob Low, Managing Director, J&D Wilkie said, 'We are delighted to have won this highly prestigious award. The investment is only one side of the business - the other side is our people and our philosophy. Each and every one of our 90 employees in Kirriemuir should feel proud of the contribution they have made to achieve this. Looking ahead, in what remains a challenging climate, we are confident that we have the correct structure in place to equip us to continue to compete aggressively for market share.'
