CHAMBERNEWS
Business support initiatives provide boost to local firms
Businesses in the Leicestershire area are benefiting from countywide business support projects designed to assist them with their growth and expansion plans.
Chamber-managed Collaborate
for Growth and the Digital Growth Programme, funded through the European Regional Development Fund and partners, are supporting small and medium-sized businesses through grants and tailored, impartial business advice. Collaborate also provides an inward investment service for businesses looking to relocate. To date 169 companies have
benefited from funding pots of £3.1m from Collaborate for capital projects and £3.5m from the Digital Growth Programme for technology projects as well as receiving one- to-one business advice. Leicestershire County Council is
a partner in both these initiatives which are open to existing firms with fewer than 250 employees, trading business-to-business in Leicester and Leicestershire. The Leader of Leicestershire
County Council, Nick Rushton, recently visited two local businesses, Assured Solutions, of Measham, and Charles Blyth & Co, based in Castle Donington, to see first-hand how the support has helped them. Councillor Rushton said: “It’s wonderful to see how the Collaborate for Growth and Digital Growth Programme are helping forward-thinking businesses across the county to overcome challenges, create new jobs and grow. “Working with our partners at
Leicester City Council, the Chamber, the LLEP and the Food and Drink Forum, there is a genuine sense of collaboration to engage with and support local businesses to grow and prosper for the good of the local economy.” Assured Solutions of Measham is
a family-owned chemical manufacturing business that employs 32 staff. The business manufactures and distributes cleaning and maintenance products to resellers under its own label. Funding of £25,000 from Collaborate has helped towards a major project relocating its manufacturing plant from Dudley to Leicester as well as the purchase of a semi-automatic filling machine. The support has created three new full-time posts and enabled it to double its capacity and fulfil
38 business network May 2019
Nick Rushton with Raj Naik, of Assured Solutions
increased demand and orders. The business also received a
technology grant from the Digital Growth Programme of £24,000 enabling it to introduce new IT infrastructure including automated machines on the production line and new software to streamline production and assist in order processing and stock control. Director Raj Naik said: “The
funding through Collaborate made our decision to relocate and invest in the new machinery that much easier and has resulted in greatly increased productivity and greater job satisfaction for the employees.” Charles Blyth & Co is a family-
owned business specialising in the manufacture of pocketed springs for mattresses supplying well known mattress makers such as Hypnos, Silent Night and Rest Assured. The business was struggling with production capacity and successfully applied for a Collaborate grant of £16,734 towards the purchase of a new pocket spring machine, enabling it to produce larger and more complex zoned units, opening up more market opportunities. Chairman Stuart Blyth said: “This
new machine increased our production capacity by 13.9%. Over the past year with increased capacity we have secured further contracts that have resulted in the establishment of a new framing
‘There is a genuine sense of collaboration to engage with and support local businesses’
department to meet the increased demand which in turn has increased our direct labour base from 33 to 38 employees.” Both businesses are also located
in areas that have been upgraded through the Superfast Leicestershire programme and can enjoy speeds of up to 56mbps download and 10mbps upload through fibre broadband. Although Collaborate funding
has now been allocated the project continues to offer free, specialist business advice along with a range
of business growth workshops. Businesses interested in future funding can contact the team to be put on a waiting list. Technology grants from £2,000
to £40,000 are still available from the Digital Growth Programme, providing around a third of the total investment for eligible businesses.
For further information visit
www.llepbizgateway.co.uk/collabo rate or
www.ebusinessclub.biz
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