BUILDING WHAT COMES NEXT
Global players- ECCO Finishing Supplies provide surface preparation and coating equipment to clients across the world.
Back from the brink
ECCO owner pays tribute to‘ immense’ team after surviving near-fatal crash
PICTURES: TOM BANKS
For ECCO Finishing Supplies, 2025 was meant to be a year of straightforward celebration to mark three decades in business.
Instead, it became a huge test of resilience, culminating in one the company ' s most remarkable years to date.
Based on the Letitia Industrial Estate in Middlesbrough, the company has built a formidable global reputation since 1995 as a specialist manufacturer and distributor of surface preparation and coating equipment.
Supplying major industries- including oil and gas, offshore renewables, automotive and construction- the business was already on a strong upward trajectory.
Owner Keith Miller had planned to use the milestone year to gradually step back from the day-to-day operations. However, a life-threatening accident forced him to hand the reins over entirely.
Today, having made a miraculous recovery, Keith is paying tribute to his exceptional management team- Andy Binks, Wayne Hall and Lucy Chapman- for successfully steering the company through his absence.
“ It was another busy year supplying equipment to our regular customers and several new ones that came on board with us,” explained Keith.
“ The upturn in the UK’ s naval fleet maintenance was certainly a factor, but so was the nuclear power sector, with new builds and servicing existing infrastructure. Most of the other sectors we supply into were also very steady.“ As we went through the spring and into the summer season, my idea was that I would be working less, heading towards retirement, letting the management team carry on, which they have been doing very successfully.”
That plan took a terrifying turn in July 2025. As a keen motorcyclist, Keith headed out with three friends for an evening ride to the famous Tan Hill Inn in the Yorkshire Dales. Travelling at just 45mph, he pulled into a layby but hit a large, gravel-filled pothole.
“ I lost control of the bike, hit a pile of stones, then hit a tree and went through a wooden fence,” he said.“ The bike ended up landing on top of me- all 215kgs of it.”
A friend travelling behind witnessed the crash and immediately called the emergency services. Keith was airlifted to James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, where he spent nearly six weeks in a coma.
He said:“ When I eventually came out of the coma, it was explained to me by my family and the medical staff the significant injuries I had sustained: all of my ribs broken, pelvis shattered, a torn aorta, punctured lung and nerve damage to my right leg.”
What followed was a gruelling rehabilitation process.
He added:“ It has taken me almost 10 months of hard work from leaving hospital in a wheelchair, needing help to do everything, from getting dressed to feeding and everything in between. It’ s
MD Keith Miller has recovered from a near-fatal motorcycle accident.
been a very long and tough journey.”
While Keith fought his physical battles, the ECCO team ensured the business didn ' t just survive, but thrived.
“ It’ s been a very tough year for me and my family personally, but just like in business, it’ s about the team of people behind the scenes,” Keith said.
“ My close family, friends, medical staff, emergency services and my work colleagues have all been immense. It’ s when things like this happen and how others react that you really get to know the value and commitment of these people.”
Now, nearly a year later, Keith is back driving, walking with a stick he hopes to soon discard and is gradually returning to the office for a few hours a week.
He said:“ Next time you see the air ambulance in the sky, think about the cost it takes to keep this amazing service airborne, and if you can, make a donation. Without them and everybody else, I don’ t think I would be here.
“ From the bottom of my heart, I will always be forever grateful to the team at ECCO Finishing, the medics who put me back together and the love and support of my family and partner. Thank you all.”
eccofinishingsupplies. com
67