Merit Merrell Technology Ltd

Northern region Deloitte Fast 50 2009 winner, Merit Merrell Technology Limited, is an engineering and construction company that specialises in converting existing buildings into clean rooms, laboratories and associated office space complete with all services.

Merit Process Engineering was formed in 1993, initially focusing on process pipe work and general mechanical pipe work installations in the pharmaceutical and semiconductor industries. A merger with Merit Merrell Technology in August of 2002 brought additional experience of clean-room design and build.

Tony Wells, MD, said: "We had a relatively tough time building the business up with a focus on semiconductor work and through word of mouth, but as we've grown we've diversified into different markets, which has helped cushion the blow of the recession. We were recently involved in the Westfield shopping centre, London, for example, and we also did a lot of work on the Diamond Light Source synchrotron in Oxfordshire. One of the most interesting was the Halley VI Antarctica base, which brought a series of new challenges, including -60 degree working temperatures!"

Projects ranging from the Antarctic to Dresden have powered the business to a growth rate of 1462 per cent over the last five years. While the high-profile projects have increased brand awareness, Wells is keen to sound a note of caution. "These projects are interesting, and great publicity, but there is a danger that customers perceive you to be expensive and too specialist, which we are not."

However, Wells believes that this broad base has given the company a real edge when tendering for new contracts. "To begin with we had owner knowledge of the operations side of semiconductor manufacturing, meaning we had specific experience to rely on when solving related problems - something our competitors were unable to do. We stripped out a lot of the things that weren't ever necessary, and innovated as well. We got into prefabrication when we worked on the synchrotron project, and that expertise was essential in the Antarctic, where everything had to be prefab for obvious reasons. Strangely, the Westfield project was also prefab, and we had experience of using cutting edge materials (in this case thin-walled stainless steel instead of carbon) which made our bid stand out from the rest."

Although the recession has curtailed international expansion plans, Wells is optimistic that the worst may be over. "We've had some sleepless nights, and it's been a very unpleasant period, with competitors pitching under cost and a real lack of liquidity. However, we're now absolutely flat out with more tenders coming in than we can fulfil. Just one month into our financial year we've secured enough work already for profitability, which is a great position to be in. We'll consolidate in the UK market for a while, then begin looking for acquisitions for the future again."