Both of its directors, Alan Glen and Alan Mulligan, had worked all over the world as specialist electrical engineering employees of a leading US-based power generation business but were made redundant when the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic placed a global ban on travel.

Undaunted, the pair, from Falkirk and East Kilbride respectively, decided that the way forward was to form their own company and pitch for new business opportunities from their former employers once the immediate ban on travel was lifted.

ESS director, Alan Mulligan, said: “We enjoyed our well remunerated work overseas and were not prepared to let Covid-19 get the better of us, so we formed Electrical Specialist Solutions, a specialist electrical and mechanical controls business focused on the power generation and semiconductor industries.

“Our mission is to help organizations across the world overcome a range of general power enhancement requirements including skills gaps, manning difficulties and issues arising from transitioning from old to new technologies.

“So far we have won contracts from customers in Mexico, Greece, Ireland and the USA and are looking to expand operations this year with new work in South America on the horizon.”

The company’s new offices in West George Street will form a base from which its overseas operations can be monitored and directed though neither of them expect to be there much of the time.

ESS director, Alan Glen, added: “We have appointed an office manager and will hire more staff for our Glasgow office as required. Despite the trend for people to work from home, we value the ability to go into the office, meet, discuss and get things done.

“On the other hand, for the foreseeable future we will be abroad, overseeing the operations of our team in tackling power generation issues in some of the world’s less hospitable climates.

“Our aim is to become known globally as the go-to problem-solving electrical engineering experts and to continue winning bigger and bigger contracts, as well as opening an office in the USA. But we intend, always, to be headquartered in Scotland.”