At a time when Britain's manufacturing prowess has been threatened by the Chinese market, a Shipley machinery company has increased its turnover by more than a third.

Carnaud Metalbox increased its turnover to £25 million in 2005 after gaining vital footholds in the Middle Eastern and Chinese markets.

And the company's expansion looks set to continue with orders for more than 80 drinks can making machines on its books.

The company, which employs more than 200 people at its Dockfield Road site, is one of only two companies worldwide, specialising in high-speed can-making machines.

Much of its business in the past 12 months has come from such far flung places as the Middle East, South America and China. And in the past few months, new export orders have come in from countries such as Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Romania and Malaysia.

General manager William Jowitt, an employee at the firm for nearly 35 years, said: "The orders have continued to come in and we have a full book for 2006 so we anticipate the same level of activity will continue for the next 12 months.

"We have been taking on extra staff as a result of this. I hope that the performance will encourage people, especially young people, that engineering is still thriving in the area."

Over the coming months Metal Box hopes to start producing machines for manufacturers hoping to oust plastic containers from their current position of supremacy.

The company is also keen to point out that cans can also be a more ecologically sound way to store drinks due to the fact that they are more recyclable than plastic.

To support and source out these foreign markets, Metal Box employees 12 service engineers who are constantly travelling round the world. Russia is the latest market they hope to move into.

Metal Box's origins go back to 1853 with the formation of Bradford textile machinery company Lee Crabtree which was taken over in 1930 when the firm was developing its previous factory site at Wrose Brow in Windhill.

In the 1980s the company was taken over by French packaging group Carnaud. In 1996 Carnaud was bought out by American multinational Crown Cork and Seal, now Crown Holdings, which has 25,000 staff at 250 locations worldwide.