Portwest, the South Yorkshire workwear manufacturer, is celebrating 30 years in the region with plans to build a second huge warehouse to enable it to cope with its continued international expansion.

With a team of 200 people at its headquarters at Thurnscoe near Barnsley, the company has grown into a £200m turnover business, supplying more than 120 countries.

Supplying a wide range of workwear from high-visibility jackets and over-trousers to chefs’ aprons and welders’ gloves, the Thurnscoe site manufactures special orders as well as acting as the distribution centre for most of Europe.

Having moved to a purpose-built 15,000 sq m facility at Fields End Business Park in 2006, Portwest is now considering building on spare land at the site. Its plans to build a second warehouse will create dozens of jobs.

Started in Ireland in 1904 by Charles Hughes, the grand-uncle of the current owners, Portwest’s catalogue is now translated into 26 languages. The company has recently moved into Australia and Panama as well as having warehouses in Ireland, Poland, Dubai and New Zealand.

Richard Jones, global sales director, said: “The transformation since the move in to South Yorkshire 30 years ago has been enormous. And we are confident the next 30 years will be amazing too. But we couldn’t have done it without the fantastic staff here in Barnsley.”

Enterprising Barnsley, the economic development arm of Barnsley Council, has supported Portwest since just before its move to Thurnscoe.

Judy Sidebottom of Enterprising Barnsley, said: “Portwest really are one of the success stories of Barnsley. They have grown from a few staff at Goldthorpe to being a major employer in the borough.

“The support we have been able to offer the company just shows how the public sector, really can help the private sector to create new jobs and boost the local economy.”