A WEST Suffolk company which was launched from a family’s dining table and now has annual turnover of more than £12million has just celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Marton Geotechnical Services (MGS), which is based at Rougham, near Bury St Edmunds, was launched by Martin Clegg and business partner Tony Osborne in 1988, operating initially from the home of Tony and his wife Beth in West Road, Bury.

The business, which focused initially on the on-shore drilling industry, quickly outgrew the dining room and relocated to rented premises on the Rougham Industrial Estate.

Additional products were added to the range through strategic partnerships with manufacturers in Europe and the United States, involving landfill and groundwater remediation applications,

In 1992, MGS acquired a larger one hectare site at Rougham, consisting of some temporary offices and a pair of Nissen huts left over from the estate’s former role as a USAF airfield.

The same year it expanded into instrumentation with the acquisition of Geosense Ltd and in 1997 it redeveloped the Rougham site to create 3,000 square metres of purpose-built manufacturing facilities for the manufacture of Geosense and plastic fabrication products, alongside the distribution of products for the UK drilling industry.

Further extensions of the product range saw MGS develop a telescopic pipe system for the landfill industry, for long-term monitoring and extraction, and a range of pneumatic environmental pumps for groundwater and landfill applications.

It also continued on the acquisition trail, with Coventry-based Demco, a supplier of wellscreen and venting systems to the site investigation and water well drilling industry being added to the business in 2002.

Terraequip (now MGS Europe), a German-based manufacturer of products for the on-shore drilling and heat recovery markets, was acquired the following year.

In 2005, MGS also achieved the Network Rail Certificate of Acceptance for the TerraRange under track drainage system.

Today, the company can boast some of the leading brands in the industries it serves – MGS for drilling and landfill products, Demco rail track drainage, Geosense geotechnical instrumentation and Geothermal Supplies for ground source heat recovery.

To mark the 25th anniversary, the company held at party for its workforce of 60, many of whom have been with the business from the early days, at Ravenwood Hall, Rougham.

Martin Clegg, who lives in Rattlesden, said: “When we set up the company, the aim was simple. We had a couple of good products, a business plan for the bank, and hoped we could earn enough to pay ourselves a reasonable wage.

“That was the extent of any long-term plan. To say we’ve surpassed our expectations is an understatement.”

Tony Osborne, who now lives in Great Barton, added: “It’s not always been easy. Along the way there have been difficult decisions and the impact of recent global economic changes. But we have risen to these challenges and today MGS has an enviable customer base and a reputation within the industries we serve for quality products and exemplary customer service.”