Commercial vehicle manufacturer Don-Bur has reported record turnover and profitability for the second year running after increasing efficiency across its operations and maintaining a strong orderbook throughout the year.
The Stoke-on-Trent business saw turnover rise from £93.3 million to £100 million in the year to 30 September 2025, while pre-tax profits increased from £15 million to £16.6 million, according to newly published accounts.
Cash reserves also strengthened significantly, with net cash rising from £22.6 million to £29.7 million.
In its strategic report, directors said the latest performance ‘was built on the successes of the prior year, and sees record levels of turnover and profitability again’.
The Adderley Green-based company said it had continued to streamline manufacturing processes while investing in workforce development through its ‘Built to Lead’ training course, aimed at strengthening middle management capabilities.
The report stated: “Our orderbook has remained consistently healthy throughout the period which has again given us the opportunity to concentrate on large batch runs that bring benefits to both operational efficiency and good cash flow.”
Don-Bur, which designs and manufactures commercial vehicle and trailer bodies, also highlighted investment in sustainability and employee engagement during the year.
The company was awarded bronze medal status by EcoVadis, which it described as ‘a globally recognised platform assessing corporate sustainability performance’.
Directors added that the award reflected the company’s commitment to ‘improving standards across labour and human rights, ethics, sustainable procurement and environment’.
The business also secured a patent for its new Suspension Safe safety feature, which it said had already ‘attracted significant interest within the market’.
Despite what the company described as ‘significant government-imposed cost increases’ including rises in employer National Insurance contributions and the national living wage, directors said margins had been protected through operational improvements and tight cost control.
Staff costs rose from £20.9 million to £22.7 million during the year, while employee numbers increased from 498 to 504.
The report stated: “One of our biggest challenges, always, is to attract and retain appropriately skilled staff and this is becoming increasingly difficult each year. To counter this risk Don-Bur engages with the local community and fosters relationships with many schools and colleges in the immediate area in order to create partnerships that will encourage young local talent to seek a career with us.”
Looking ahead, Don-Bur said it planned further investment in operations, staff development and sustainability initiatives, including expanding its solar array in 2026.
The company said it remained confident about future trading, with ‘a strong orderbook heading into the next year’.
The report added: “The company’s longer-term strategy for beyond 2025 is to continue to grow its market share (primarily through organic growth), to continue to invest in our internal systems (where the focus will be on stores processes and inventory), and to improve our quality through clearly defined processes.
“We aim to improve profitability and sustainability still further through the many opportunities available to become more efficient both through good management and prudent investment.”
