ALLAN Mitchell lets out a sigh of relief as he sits down.

He’s just returned from a brief tour of his company’s factory, where unrelenting winds buffeted him at every turn.

A return to warmer surroundings is most welcome.

But the satisfaction is two-fold.

Mr Mitchell heads The Almit Group, and taking a seat is a rare moment of calm in the firm’s rapid expansion.

The metal-finishing business provides powder coating for new buildings, wet spray services to protect pipework on oil rigs, chrome and silver plating, and anodised coating to protect aluminium from corrosion.

Harbouring a workforce of about 80 two years ago, it now has around 120 staff, and Mr Mitchell hopes to see the figure increase to 150 in the next two years.

Central to its success has been the decision to transfer its operations from Bishop Auckland, Shildon and Newton Aycliffe, in County Durham, to one base.

That site was Darlington, and more specifically, the former home of collapsed conservatory maker Amdega.

When family-run Almit took over the site in 2013, it was nothing more than a shell.

Left empty after Amdega fell victim to the economic downturn, its cavernous insides and abandoned shopfloor were a sad reflection of a manufacturing sector battered by the recession.

However, more than a year later, the factory is transformed and stands proud on Darlington’s Faverdale industrial estate.

Its grey and navy frontage and large lettering are quite literally a sign of its progress.

That will continue when a handful of staff, who still remain in Bishop Auckland and Aycliffe, move to Darlington soon.

When The Northern Echo last visited the factory in late 2013, a bright yellow earthmover was busily carrying loads to a new foyer area, where a workman, spade in hand, was digging a trench for pipework.

The factory was still relatively barren, with just one area taken up by a production line arranging sheets of aluminium ready for powder coating.

How things have moved on.

The foyer, no longer a building site, houses a large water feature, with a television boasting Almit’s capabilities to every visitor who enters.

A display of old equipment, including microscopes, scales and a wattmeter, stands in a corner, conjuring images of the industry’s past.

But step into the heart of factory and you see the real change.

Its powder coating lines are in place, its wet paint shop is equally busy.

Opposite, another building on the sprawling site is being prepared to house more lines, with men lofted up high to work on walls.

Walking inside takes you over former rail tracks, a sign of the area’s past life as a British Rail yard.

In that sense, it’s a merger of the old and new.

However, Mr Mitchell, Almit’s general manager and son of founders, Dr Allan and Irene Mitchell, is quick to tell me the environment could change again with plans to build an extension for anodising and electroplating work.

Sitting in an office, still wearing his coat as rain dabs the windows, he says: “We have been non-stop and are going around now to finish bits off.

“Work is going well on the powder shop and our wet paint shops are coming on too.

“The anodising is looking like it will be 2016 and that will give us an extra edge.

“We are going to step up our architectural anodising because we think there will be an opening to attract new and existing customers who already know and use our services.

“If you have a flash building, all of the big bull noses are made of aluminium and they need treating.

“Of course, that could help with jobs, and we are steady away on that front.

“It is difficult to get the skills we need and it takes a lot of training to get people where we want them.

“We can’t just throw a spray gun to someone on their first day and tell them to get on with it.”

Such attention to detail and commitment to quality is no doubt why Almit’s services for are well-known and respected in the sector.

When Manchester City, adept at scouring the world for the best available talent, wanted to spruce up its training headquarters, the football club looked to the North-East and Almit.

The company treated metal for City’s vast complex, which is a second home for players such as England goalkeeper Joe Hart, Champions League and Premier League winner Frank Lampard, and Argentine striker, Sergio Aguero, the former son-in-law of Diego Maradona.

But the firm is also strong in its support for the oil and gas industry, a sector that itself is responsible for providing thousands of North-East jobs.

Walking through Almit’s factory, scores of components destined for offshore use hang at varying stages of completion.

While the price of oil continues to deflate, and companies cagily push back developments in response, Mr Mitchell says he is confident the division will continue to be a strong area, even if Almit isn’t always aware of exactly where its finished products are used.

He said: “The Manchester City work was good to have and we are still doing all that, but some of the time we don’t know where it is going.

“It might say Manchester on the ducket and then the next we know it’s gone to the football club.

“When the big boys want things doing in the oil and gas industry, it comes down the supply chain and we play our part in the manufacturing process.

“That means our products can go anywhere around the world.”

As he talks, the weather changes again.

The threat of rain has given way to a watery sunshine, though the wind stubbornly remains.

In a way, the conditions neatly sum up Almit’s progress.

The most difficult of the work is over and the factory is looking good, but there’s still a way to go.

As our interview ends, Mr Mitchell looks to the future.

He added: “It’s going well and we’ve had people tell us they used to work on this site or that they walk past the factory and think how nice it is to see some employment and the hope for more jobs in the next few years.

“It will look different again in another year.

“We’ll be at the next stage then.”