A specialist engineering firm is embarking on a period of substantial growth – fired in part by a five-figure funding boost.
Despite being established in the midst of the recession, Meltham Thermal Engineers (MTE) has been consistently successful and quickly reached capacity in its current home at Meltham Mills Industrial Estate.
Now the company is planning a job-creating move to a purpose-built factory on a 2.4-acre site at Spa Fields in Slaithwaite in early 2016.
The 32,000sq ft unit will give MTE an additional 12,000sq ft of useable space which will house two new, state-of-the-art furnaces with space to add a third within two years.
There is also room to extend the Slaithwaite factory by a further 12,000sq ft as and when required.
MTE, which provides sub-contract services for the heat treatment and surface engineering of metals, has secured a £70,000 grant from Leeds City Regional Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to part-fund the purchase of the furnaces, which will be the first of their kind in the UK.
The state-of-the-art equipment will enable MTE to increase capacity by 25%, while reducing running costs by 50% due to their extreme efficiency.
The move will also create seven jobs – split between technical and operational roles – and take the total growth investment by the business to £3.5m.
Managing director Geoff Windas said: “The new furnaces will be delivered in February which means we will have to have the shed up and watertight by the end of this year.
“The furnaces will be commissioned and installed in March and we aim to start operations at the new site by Easter next year.”
The company, which currently employs 27 people, invited Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney to visit the Meltham site and find out about its plans.
Mr Windas said: “We enjoyed showing Mr McCartney around and explaining our growth plans to him.
“The whole team is eager to progress with the move and the MP is known for supporting local businesses.
“It’s great to know that he believes MTE to be a good example of a company with growth potential.”
Conservative MP Mr McCartney said: “I thoroughly enjoyed hearing firsthand about the growth which capital investment will facilitate for Meltham Thermal Engineers.
“The company is maintaining the region’s reputation for excellence in heavy engineering and this substantial investment in equipment will position it at the forefront of the heat treatment industry.”
MTE services a broad customer base, including the automotive and heavy automotive sectors, marine, energy and precision engineering industries.
