50 new jobs at Thorburn’s Duns HQ

A large crowd turned up for the opening of Thorburn Group's new headquarters.

The Thorburn Group, which specialises in the design and manufacture of farm buildings and equipment, has officially opened its new £5.3m headquarters in Duns.

Sir John and Lady Catherine Campbell, founders of Glenrath Farms in Peeblesshire, were the guest of honours at last week’s grand opening.

Thorburn Group rebranded two years ago after the management buyout of John Thorburn & Sons by Euan Thorburn, 36, his father Alistair Thorburn, 60 and Phil Morris, 53. As part of the buy out the group committed to create a purpose-built facility to allow them to better service the local farming community with the building of agricultural sheds, livestock handling, grain drying and steel fencing solutions, as well as to grow employment in the area.

Sir John said: “It is a real privilege to be asked to open this new site on behalf of Thorburn Group, we are very proud to see what Alistair and his son Euan have built here, it is fantastic. We are long-time supporters of the company and they have been important partners to us as we have grown our own business and we are sure that other farmers will be thrilled at this investment, and show of commitment to support for farmers in this area”

Lady Campbell cuts the ribbon at the opening.

The six-acre investment, in Duns Industrial Estate, has allowed the company to create a modern manufacturing facility that will enable the company to eventually quadruple its production to around 300 sheds per annum, as well as creating up to 50 new jobs in the area and has benefited from support from both the Scottish Borders Council and South of Scotland Enterprise.

Managing director, Euan Thorburn, said: “We are immensely proud to have developed our new site in Duns to allow us to meet the demand more readily from local farmers for our agricultural buildings and we are excited to have created a purpose-built facility which encompasses the latest technology in steel fabrication to allow us to better serve our customers.

"It has been a huge project and I have to say a massive thank you to our staff and customers for all their support during the last year or so as we have made this long-term commitment to the area.”

Director Phil Morris added: “This £5.3m development has taken a massive effort to bring to fruition, our customers have long wanted us to expand our capacity and we would like to take this opportunity to thank our customer base for their ongoing support as well as to thank RBS, Scottish Borders Council and South of Scotland Enterprise for being so helpful in supporting this project which should be a real boost for the area.

“As a consequence of this development, we need to expand our workforce in the coming months and years across all areas of our business and are committed to becoming one of the best employers in the area.

"These jobs will largely be either welders or steel erectors to support the fabrication of an increased quantity of agricultural buildings, and the intention is that these roles can be filled from the local community, and the company is working with local schools and colleges, as well as creating our own training programme to help adequately fill the vacancies.

“We do encourage any ambitious, disciplined young people looking for good work in the area, to get in touch if they are interested in joining us”

Councillor Scott Hamilton, Scottish Borders Council’s executive member for community and business development, said: “I am delighted that through the coordinated work of a range of council services and with SOSE’s support we’ve been able to help this local company to significantly expand and create a number of new jobs.

"The council is very happy to work with new and growing local businesses, and those looking to invest in the area, to find suitable premises and sites that support investment into the local economy and our communities.”