Insider Media Limited

Investment in new products and markets has led to record sales levels at Stoke-on-Trent-based manufacturer Steelite. The chief executive of the UK's biggest tableware manufacturer told Insider the company "had not been afraid to innovate", which resulted in its 2010 revenues topping £60m. The company, which revealed its results this morning, also announced a recruitment drive in response to the upturn.

Steelite posted its best results to date this morning, with pre-tax profit hitting £7.9m.

The Middleport-based company, which employs 650 people in the UK, recorded annual sales of £60.6m, up from £51.9m in 2009.

Production at its factory in Stoke-on-Trent increased by 24 per cent in 2010, and pre-tax profit soared from £5.4m in the previous year to £7.9m.

Chief executive Kevin Oakes told Insider: "When we went into the downturn, I said that I was confident we would emerge a stronger company at the end. We had to cut costs quickly and deeply – but invested in creating innovative products, we explored new markets and produced new marketing initiatives.

"A lot of companies didn't – but innovating and investing in the product has undoubtedly worked for us. In terms of the industry in the West Midlands, some companies have performed very well during and after the recession – but others haven't. The ones which are making the difference are those investing in innovation and quality.

"There's now tremendous momentum surrounding the company – and we're going to be creating up to 30 new jobs at our Stoke-on-Trent factory."

Oakes described the company's results as a "vintage performance in the face of adversity".

Steelite trades to 130 countries worldwide, and Oakes said he intended to expand its reach further.

"We've recently invested heavily in India, China, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Africa. We're not content with only operating in traditional markets – we want to really tap into emerging markets as well."

The company supplies tableware to clients including Hilton Hotels and Whitbread.