The North Tayside MSP visited David Ritchie (Implements) Limited to see the Suttieside plant, which was recently expanded at a cost of £600,000 to increase manufacturing capacity.

Established over a century ago, Ritchie, currently employing a staff of more than 120, specialises in supplying handling, storage and security equipment for the offshore, industrial gas and chemical, defence, glass, distribution, automotive, rail and utility sectors across the globe.

The operations were brought under one roof through development and expansion, which involved closing the site at Whitehills, now, of course, being developed for housing.

Ritchie took opportunity of Mr Swinney's visit to illustrate the improvements it has made to its plant, which have helped the company remain competitive in the demanding agricultural and oil and gas industry.

These include progress on its lean manufacturing system, robotic manufacturing, forward thinking HR techniques and product developments, including semi-domestic wind turbines for use in rural environments.

"We would be the last company to set ourselves up as a paragon for manufacturing," explained Tony Walker, managing director.

"However, Ritchie has been in existence since 1870 and, in that time, has reinvented itself to succeed through several challenging times.

"The current economic climate only reinforces the reasoning behind our most recent set of improvements. Our objective is always to exceed our customers' expectations while maintaining costs at an acceptable level."

Following a short tour of the Suttieside factory and a meeting with the company's senior management team, Mr Swinney met with a small group of members from Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce.

Gary Langlands, president of the Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce, expressed his delight at the opportunity to meet with the Government's Finance Minister.

"While we recognise that global factors are causing many of the cost rises that are impacting so adversely on businesses in Dundee and Angus just now, the Scottish Government still has a vital role in helping our members to weather the current storm.

"And, in the longer term, businesses in this region want assurances that the Scottish Government will deliver on its pledge to make the sustainable growth of the economy its number one priority."