Chairman of Scottish Enterprise visits companies and projects in the east and south of Scotland

The new chairman of Scottish Enterprise, Crawford Gillies, was in the east and south of Scotland this week to learn more about the regions’ strengths and challenges.

Mr Gillies met with Scottish Enterprise colleagues to find out how the organisation is working with local companies and industry sectors to help them grow during the current economic climate. Mr Gillies also visited a number of Scottish Enterprise’s key projects including Edinburgh BioQuarter and Fife Energy Park.

In Dumfries, Mr Gillies met with local company Gates Power Transmission Ltd who are one of the market leaders in the production of hi-tech synchronous timing belts for the industrial, agricultural and automotive industries. He was able to hear directly from their management team about their growth aspirations as well as hearing about some of the present challenges facing their company in the difficult economic climate. 

Speaking after the visit, Mr Gillies said: “Scottish Enterprise has been supporting Gates on an R & D project to develop a belt drive system to rival competitor chain drive systems. This has resulted in a new range of polymer belt products being developed which allows Gates to compete in the current market both in the UK and internationally. The R & D project was developed at the Dumfries plant and was a key strategic priority for the company, which saw them receive top level support and visibility worldwide within the Gates Corporation and which represented a significant investment for the company.”

David Wilson, Manager at Gates Power Transmission’s Dumfries plant commented: ”The development of the R & D project at Dumfries has really helped to take the Dumfries plant forward and shows that Scottish based companies are more than able to compete and can indeed lead the way for many larger organisations.  We are very grateful to Scottish Enterprise for their support on the project and look forward to working with them in the future.”

In Fife, Mr Gillies visited Artilium in Dunfermline, a leading European developer of telecoms software for mobile network operations. Based in Bruges, Belgium they also have offices in Dunfermline and are a global success story with their products being used around the world. 

Gordon Povey, Vice President of Artilium said: “I am delighted to welcome Crawford to Artilium.  We are grateful for the support and encouragement given to us by Scottish Enterprise and we look forward to working with them in the future.”

Mr Gillies also spent time with Edinburgh-based company Toshiba Medical Visualization Systems Europe Ltd (TMVS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation.

“TMVS serves as the foundation of a world-class medical research and development centre in Europe,” said Kenichi Komatsu Ph. D., president and CEO, Toshiba Medical, “demonstrating Toshiba’s strong commitment to our European customers as well as the healthcare industry worldwide.”

Mr Gillies added: “Despite economic challenges, it is clear that there are a number of robust companies and industries that continue to make a significant contribution to Scotland’s economy. We are helping our customers respond to the current challenges of the recession while trying to ensure they are in the best position possible to respond when the markets pick up again.

“The companies that I met this week are impressive, highly entrepreneurial businesses and I am pleased that my Scottish Enterprise colleagues are working with the companies to support their growth plans."

Crawford Gillies is Chairman of Control Risks Group Holdings Ltd, Hammonds LLP and Touch Bionics Ltd; and a Non-Executive Director of Standard Life Plc. He was an independent member of the DTI's Management Board and Strategy Board from 2002 to 2007, and chaired the DTI's Audit and Risk Committee from 2003 to 2007. He is a former Chairman of CBI London.

Mr Gillies is committed to developing Scottish talent internationally. He is a long-standing member of SE's International Advisory Board and has chaired the Saltire Foundation since 2007.