Bootmaker reaches new territory with military contract (From The Northern Echo)
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Alt-Berg, in Richmond, North Yorkshire, to supply boots for Danish Army
6:00am Wednesday 6th March 2013 in Business News
By Steven Hugill
Mike Sheehan from Alt-berg bootmakers, in Richmond, North Yorkshire
A BOOTMAKER is helping the fight against terrorism after securing a deal to supply footwear for troops serving in Afghanistan.
Alt-Berg, in Richmond, North Yorkshire, is making 12,000 boots a year for the Danish Army.
The company, which is Britain's last boot manufacturer, will handcraft hot and cold weather boots that will be worn by members of Denmark's 650-strong army in the Asian country.
The deal is for an initial five years and comes after Alt-Berg won a contract to make 50,000 combat footwear for the British Army every year.
The company, which also makes boots for more than 30 UK police forces, was set up by Darlington-born engineer Mike Sheehan with his redundancy money after Fairfield Footwear shoe factory closed in 1989.
It currently employs 22 people at Richmond and a further 55 staff in its factory in Treviso, Italy, with production recently expanding to Romania where 1,000 pairs of boots are made a week to meet increasing orders.
Mr Sheehan, owner and founder of Alt-Berg, previously worked at Cleveland Bridge, in Darlington, and said the Danish deal would safeguard the company's future, adding the rising demand could lead to the creation of new jobs in the future.
He said: “We're very pleased to receive the contract because it helps to guarantee our employment in the Richmond factory and secures work in certain areas.
“It is hard to say for sure at this stage, but once the contract gets underway, towards the end of this year, it may require additional resources.”
The company sells its boots to walkers, climbers, mountaineers jungle trekkers and even telegraph-pole climbers across the world, and expects its turnover to reach about £6m next year.
Mr Sheehan said the company's success revolved on hard work and a commitment to quality, which it would continue delivering.
He said: “In the early days, things were very bleak and we had some days when we had no money, no orders, and the machines kept breaking down.
“I didn’t know if we could last another week but I was taught that when times are bad, you have to concentrate on making good boots.
“That's what we did, and that’s what we still do.”
