Inside business THE lack of a job at the height of the Thatcher era was the motiv-ation behind the formation of metal working company Teelux Ltd. Now the firm is playing its part creating work in the engineer-ing industry.

Ian Hogg formed Teelux in 1985. His eldest son Philip had just qualified as an engineer and found it impossible to gain a job in his industry.

''It was the Thatcher era and the industry was in bad shape. There were no jobs around.''

''My wife and I sold our house and bought a lathe and milling equipment to start a small engineering jobbing shop, and Philip began working in the business,'' explained Hogg, managing director of Teelux.

Hogg also gave up a business which exported machinery to the Middle East to concentrate on Teelux.

''We had a small 1100 sq ft space in Stirling, and for the first time in many years I got grease on my hands,'' laughed Hogg.

In the early years there was little indication of the expansion to come.

''Philip's brother Ian joined the business,'' explained Hogg, ''but it was almost four years before we took on our first employee from outside the family.''

Less than three years ago Teelux moved from a 5000 sq ft unit in Stirling to a 50,000 sq ft factory in Bonnybridge.

In 1995 Teelux had an annual turnover of #360,000, compared to #2.5m in the year ending June, 1999.

At the same time employees have risen from 15 to over 100, and Hogg expects this to increase to 150 within the next year.

''Our turnover in our first year of business,'' said Hogg, '' was #26,000. We now do that in two days.''

Son Philip is the company's operations director, wife Yvonne is company secretary and Ian is manager of the powder coating division.

The transformation came when the company diversified from traditional fabrication work into architectural metal work, heavier steel structure work, and powder coating.

On the fabrication side one of Teelux's main customers is coach builder Walter Alexander.

On the architectural metal work side Teelux recently completed a prestigious contract for the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, building a stainless steel champagne bar.

Teelux also did the metal work for the Dynamic Earth visitors centre in Edinburgh and are currently helping to restore the Great Hall in Stirling Castle.

In February this year Teelux started their steel structure division, and have provided the steelwork for the Big Idea millennium project in Ayrshire.