Midlothian company adapts to beat Covid-19 economic crash

Airco Developments has been based at Newbattle Abbey Business Park since John Crawford established the company, then known as Aircare, in 1993. Due to Covid-19 health and safety requirements now needed in the workplace, John decided to diversify and expand to include sanitising work as well as ventilation products.

His wife, and Airco sales executive, Audrey Crawford, said: “We are a ventilation company first and foremost. But we have moved into sanitising. It’s been a godsend.

“Things were a bit risky at the start of the pandemic. The first couple of weeks were tough. We thought it might have been the end for us.

“But this change has really kept us in good stead and kept all 38 staff. Their jobs are secure because this change has gone so well.

“Half the staff are back, on split shifts due to social distancing. We hope to have everyone back by the start of August when we will be looking to have yet another unit in the estate for the storage we will require to grow our business further.

“We just thought, we have got the facilities to do this ventilation work so why not? Every few days John is coming up with a new design.

“John is a fighter. He takes no for an answer from nobody. I’m just so proud of him that he has not lost a soul. He has had to pay a couple of guys out of his own pocked because they missed the cut off for furloughed staff. He knew that he needs to keep them on for when we get up and running fully again.”