Falkirk business hailed as one of Scotland's innovators
A Falkirk-based recycling company has been commended for its creativity and approach to business growth following a high profile visit from the country’s lead economic development agency.
Jack Perry, chief executive of Scottish Enterprise visited Redeem Plc in Falkirk yesterday (27 July 2009), as part of a wider visit to the area, to hear about its work with Scottish Enterprise to expand its business in the UK and internationally.
An international leader in the recovery, re-use and recycling of mobile phones, ipods, electronic devices and printer cartridges, Redeem Plc has been looking for opportunities to target new markets.
Through support from Scottish Enterprise’s account manager, the company was introduced to the business improvement and efficiency programmes. The company has also benefitted from internationalisation support including setting up an international operation in Hong Kong, and are currently involved in an organisational development programme to support their future growth plans.
Jack Perry said: “I have been extremely impressed with the management team here at Redeem Plc and their commitment to growth and looking at ways to improve their business.
“In the current climate, companies which can demonstrate flexibility and continue to create, evaluate and exploit new ideas are the most likely to come out of the current recession more efficient, more profitable and more successful.
“Redeem is exactly the kind of company we want to work with and we want more Scottish businesses to look at ways to improve their business, whether that’s developing new product offerings, improving business efficiencies, or transforming business models to improve competitiveness.”
Redeem Plc was founded in 1999 by chief executive Jamie Rae, employs around 90 people and is on target to more than double its turnover to £12 million this year with their new operations in Hong Kong and Turkey.
Earlier this month they successfully achieved UK Small Company of the Year at the Business in the Community (BITC) annual Awards for Excellence, the only Scottish company this year to achieve an award at the ceremony.
Jamie Rae, chief executive of Redeem Plc said “We are extremely pleased to be recognised for our responsible business growth and creative approach. At Redeem, we take great pride in our work, and we always look for ways to improve – which is where Scottish Enterprise comes in.
“Jack’s visit today allowed us to demonstrate how the agency’s input has helped us reach our goal of becoming an award winning business with an international reach. The core values we commit to are grounded in service, the environment, charitable giving and supporting developing nations – and all our staff share in this, as do our partners.
“So far, we have provided more than 1 million mobiles to developing countries, and our plans to expand further across Europe and Asia will continue to strengthen our position in the market. Scottish Enterprise in an invaluable partner in helping us to achieve this ambition.”
Scottish Enterprise, in partnership with Scottish Business in the Community, promotes responsible and sustainable business practice in Scotland www.sbcscot.com
About Redeem
Redeem plc was founded in 1999 and currently employs 90 staff across its five sites in Scotland; Italy; Republic of Ireland; Turkey and Hong Kong.
Their success has been recognised by numerous awards including seven Business in the Community Big Tick Standard of Excellence Awards, Chamber Awards Business Commitment to the Community for Scotland, Business in the Community Small Company of the Year 2009, The Quality Scotland Corporate Citizenship Award, Scottish Business in the Community SME of the Year 2005.
Once Redeem receives old phones they are graded and sold on for second hand use, very often in developing countries where landline infrastructure is poor and they become an essential means of communication for both business and personal use. Used products which are unable to be resold are recycled down to their component parts, which include precious metals such as gold and silver. Printer cartridges are refilled for reuse and returned to the consumer stream as a more environmentally friendly option.