SPP Pumps have won a £2 million contract with a Japanese company – despite the country's major tsunami disaster.

The order for pumps used in the oil and gas industry is the Coleford firm's first from a Japanese customer.

Some British firms have been hit by disruption to Japanese companies in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami.

And continuing problems with cooling the nuclear reactors at Fukushima are believed to be partly responsible for a stockmarket wobble.

But Thai Nippon Steel, a Japanese company with construction facilities in Thailand, will use the pumps on two gas production platforms off the coast of Burma.

SPP operations director Terry Newby said the seven-figure sum was fairly typical of pump orders for the oil and gas industry.

"The fact that makes this unusual is that this is our first Japanese customer," he said. "The Japanese have high standards and want things to be spot on.

"We got the order because we do things on time and at the right price – obviously we want to make a good job of it."

SPP Pumps has an annual turnover of around £50 million and it employs 170 people at the Mushet Industrial Park.

Terry said the future looked bright for SPP.

"Because such a high percentage of what we produce is for export, we have been helped by the weak pound," he said.

"The oil and gas industries are still buoyant and we see this continuing for several years."

SPP have already shipped the first order for a fire pump set, which provides pressurised sea water for fire fighting in the accommodation modules of the oil and gas platform.

Even if there is a loss of power the pump is equipped with emergency start capabilities.

The second order which will ship in April is for four off-sea water-lift pumps.

The sea water lift pumps raise sea water to the working level of the platform for cooling the compressed gas and the gas handling equipment which would otherwise become too hot to safely operate.