Our journey so far...
Delivering quality steel frame buildings and fabrication services to agricultural, industrial and commercial industries.
1947
John Thorburn Snr purchased the blacksmiths business at Newtown Street, Duns. His son, John Thorburn served here as an apprentice.
1957
John Thorburn took over the reins of the business.
1968
New premises at Station Road, Duns were purchased due to an increasing workload. With a larger workshop and a growing team, the business expanded into fabricating machinery as well as sales/repairs of farm machinery.
1970's
A steady expansion into building fabrication and erection – with agricultural, commercial and industrial buildings being built and erected throughout the Borders, Northumberland and East Lothian. Alistair Thorburn joined his Dad in the late 70s, starting in the workshop welding and fabricating then moving on to making and erecting sheds in the early 1980’s.
1980's
The business began to manufacture and retail their own products, including livestock feeding equipment and trailers built to individual customer specifications. The 80’s also saw the expansion into grain handling and drying plan installation and the introduction of our successful crane hire business.
2000's
Euan Thorburn joined the team at Thorburn’s and began working in different areas of the business before becoming a director in 2012.
2021
John Thorburn & Sons Ltd rebrands to Thorburn Group following the retirement of directors John and Stuart Thorburn. The company is now headed up by Alistair Thorburn and his son Euan.
2022
Thorburn Group bought over the well established business, Premier Livestock Handling, from George Clark. Adding a collection of well renowned and award winning Cattle Crushes to our services.
2023
Thorburn Group build and move into their £5.3 million purpose-built premises in Duns Industrial Estate. This marks a new chapter for the company giving them the opportunity to eventually quadruple it's production.
2024
After developing the Premier range, upgrading the current Cattle Crushes to suit the customers requirements and adding additional products to the range to meet industry demand, Thorburn Group are taking the brand national! This year sees the launch of a dealer network for Premier, if you would like further information, then do no hesitate to get in touch.
supplier of the year
In October 2024, our decades of hard work wee rewarded when we were awarded Supplier of the Year at the Scottish Farmer Agricultural Awards. This recognition would not have been possible without our incredibly supportive and loyal customers, this ones for you!
Thorburn Group Careers
Are you interested in a career with Thorburn Group? Whether it is in our Workshop, Steel Erecting or even in the office typing up estimates, we have a wide range of opportunities to leave your mark on the company, and join our hard-working and dedicated team. Discover our current vacancies, and learn more about our different departments, on our dedicated careers page.
