Safety equipment supplier says overseas markets account for 68% of product sales

Latchways has increased pre-tax profit by 28% to £4.6m thanks to strong overseas demand for its fall protection systems.

The firm said that exports now accounted for 68% of its business.

Turnover increased by 15% to £19.1m for the six months to 30 September 2010 while dividends increased by 15% to 8.98p.

Despite a subdued UK market Latchways said its sales had increased by 13% thanks to larger market share.

Chairman, Paul Hearson said: “Uncertainties remain in our traditional markets, but with so much of our growth and opportunity coming from worldwide markets, we are confident that we have the right product offering and strategy to deliver profitable growth this year and long term.”