WITH its first step into the export arena on the European mainland, GSM Valtech Industries Ltd of Wetherby, has just secured sales worth about £250,000 per year.

GSM Valtech provides single-source design and manufacture for metal enclosures, sheet metal parts and graphic panel systems, and has been working in close partnership with a secretive leading provider of metro optical networking solutions in Europe.

The specialist provider, which is coy about allowing suppliers to use its name, is said to be predominantly active within the telecommunications industry, and has offices in the UK, Germany, France, Norway, America and Japan.

Now it has subcontracted all its German requirements to GSM, which is helping to redesign products for manufacture and ensuring the product is value engineered, from the prototype stage through to volume manufacture and production.

GSM is already 32 per cent up on budgeted sales forecast for the financial year June to May. As a result, it is looking to recruit up to ten more on to its payroll of 54 people. The new recruits will be from across the entire skills base, including positions for shop floor operators and skilled painters.

Iain Glover, commercial manager for GSM Valtech, said: "Our increasing success both within the domestic and global marketplace is the main reason for our recruitment drive.

"Our partnership with this new German customer has been strengthened due to our in-depth involvement in the design for manufacture of new style precision chassis units for the telecommunications industry."

GSM Valtech already supplies sheet metal enclosures for electronic industries to Eire, but this is the first time it has won a deal on the continent.

Mr Glover said: "The business is also witnessing a steady growth within the UK, which we are confident is set to continue. Our increasing business development means we can bring increased employment to the area, and, by providing a full training schedule, be enable to meet these exciting new demands."

Updated: 10:29 Friday, October 29, 2004