A specialist engineering firm has enjoyed a record-breaking year after investing in new machinery, with the help of a grant from Herefordshire Council’s Business Enterprise Fund.
KGD Enterprises, which is based at Rotherwas in Hereford, makes high-quality packaged process plant equipment and pressure vessels for the oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation, pharmaceutical, nuclear, hydrogen, renewables and food industries.
The firm received a grant of £30,061.90 from the Business Enterprise Fund which funded half the cost of buying a sub arc welding machine.
Managing director Ed Pitt said the new machine had contributed to a boost in production and a reduction in the firm’s environmental impact, as it uses less heat and produces less waste than traditional MIG welding.
Ed said: “The Business Enterprise Fund paid for 50 per cent of the cost, which made the opportunity viable for us to decide to go ahead.
“It’s been a great help in terms of increasing our manufacturing efficiency and reducing our environmental impact, especially in terms of noise and fumes. It has helped us to get a record amount of work completed in the last eight months.
“Most of the products made using this machine will go to pump Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) in the North Sea off Norway.”
The company is now looking to recruit a further nine apprentices, adding to its already large team of trainees who are all following a four-year course.
Ed, who also started as an apprentice, said: “We are constantly expanding and we are looking to take on nine apprentices this year – we are the biggest engineering apprentice trainers in the county. It is something that works well for us.”
He praised the support received from Herefordshire Council’s business support team and the Herefordshire Growth Hub during the application for the Business Enterprise Fund grant, which is part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Ed added: “The support from the business team has been really good. The application form was relatively easy to fill in and the assistance we got was good. As soon as we got approval, the money was there quickly.”
KGD Enterprises was formed in July 1982 and has steadily grown from a team of two to a team of 120. A boost in orders prompted a need to increase productivity and efficiency, which led to the decision to invest in the new sub arc welder.
Unlike traditional welding, the machine doesn’t produce any arc flash or fumes and it recycles flux instead of it going to waste. It also reduces noise as there is no need for grinding between welds, and it uses about 40 per cent less heat. For KGD Enterprises, the new sub arc welder is expected to save 4.5 tonnes of Co2 emissions each year.
The Business Enterprise Fund is one of a package of UKSPF programmes being delivered by Herefordshire Council to support local communities and businesses. Applications are currently closed but a new round of funding is due to open soon. However, if businesses are planning a project, or would like to find out more about funding, please contact the Herefordshire Growth Hub on: business@herefordshire.gov.uk
For details of the current grants and funding available through Herefordshire Council visit: https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/grants-funding-1/current-grants-funding