ERG (Air Pollution Control) Ltd. today announced the repayment of the final instalment of its DTI(1) Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG) business loan. This represents the successful culmination of a 7-year business plan which has seen ERG grow to become not only the UK’s leading air pollution and odour control company, but also develop a global presence. Today ERG supplies turnkey odour control systems and provides maintenance services under framework contracts to many of the UK water treatment companies as well as supplying air pollution control systems to diverse process industries globally. The business operates through a UK-wide organisation, together with a branch office in Jordan serving the Middle-East, and through a network of technology licensees who represent ERG’s patented V-texTM gas scrubbing technology worldwide.

Thanks to this success, ERG is on course to announce record turnover of close to £5M at the close of its 2008/2009 financial year at the end of February.

In 2001, ERG chairman, David Warby, and managing director, James Scott-Bowden, led a management buy-out of the company. The newly independent ERG was a prime candidate for the DTI’s government backed SFLG scheme, and successfully applied for a £150k loan from Lloyds TSB under the DTI scheme. The loan enabled ERG to implement its strategic business plan by funding investment in product development, engineering design and additional staff to grow the business.

In handing over the cheque for the final instalment, Neville James, financial controller for ERG said: ”With David, James and the other directors at the helm, and with the support of all our staff, we have not only fulfilled our obligation to the bank, but also grown ERG into a leading air pollution and odour control company. Though this is the end of one financial chapter, we look forward to continuing a prosperous future partnership with Lloyds TSB”.

David Gale, relationship director, Lloyds TSB, who arranged the loan in 2001, commented: “This is a great success story for the SFLG scheme. ERG had an impressive track record and a viable business plan for growth, but as a newly independent company it lacked the resources to fully exploit the opportunities open to it under the new management. We were convinced that the loan would unlock significant growth potential. ERG’s subsequent performance has proved us right.”