A family of fabrics, curtains and blinds made in Heckmondwike is being produced faster and to a higher quality thanks to a grant secured with the help of Business Kirklees.
Gordon John Textiles Limited, based at Springwell Mill on Church Street, was awarded a grant through the Digital Enterprise West Yorkshire programme to invest in an automated curtain taping machine. The new machine has replaced a slow, hands-on process and is now up and running on the factory floor.
Gordon John Textiles has been trading since 1976 and manufactures curtains, blinds and soft furnishings for customers across the UK. The company employs 40 people at its Heckmondwike factory. Director Chris Nott leads a team that serves both the domestic market and a growing commercial customer base.
Chris first met Gill Watson, SME Growth Manager at Business Kirklees, at a local manufacturing sector networking event. The business had not previously had any contact with the council’s business team. After touring the Heckmondwike factory with Gill, the company identified several areas where support could make a real difference: replacing slow tape header machinery, exploring automation in the fabric measuring and cutting department, upgrading old fluorescent lighting, finding a solution for fabric offcuts going to landfill, and starting to build a marketing role to help target hotels, care homes and other commercial customers.
Gill and Chris drew up an action plan focused on the areas where support was straightforward, user-friendly, and free or grant-funded, so it would not take the business away from day-to-day operations.
The support included a grant through Digital Enterprise West Yorkshire for the new automated sewing machine, a free energy audit through the Business Sustainability Service with clear recommendations on where energy savings can be made, a route into Made Smarter for further factory automation, recruitment support through the Graduate Recruitment Programme and Apprenticeships for a planned new marketing role, and consultancy support on the fabric offcut recycling challenge which is ongoing.
Gordon John Textiles has secured the grant and installed the new machine. The company has received its energy audit and is using the information to plan future investment. It has also registered for Made Smarter support.
Chris Nott said:
“We were invited to a local manufacturing sector network meeting where we hoped to meet and network with other local manufacturing companies. With no thoughts of what to expect, we immediately met Gill Watson, Kirklees SME Growth Manager, as we walked through the door. Gill helped us to understand how her department could help support our business in different ways including funding for new growth initiatives. Our business had previously always self-funded new machinery, and we were considering buying a new curtain taping machine to upgrade this slow and labour-intensive process. With Gill’s knowledge of support available we were successful in being awarded a substantial grant to fund our new machine and we are pleased to report this has totally transformed this function, resulting in a quicker, more efficient and improved quality product. Furthermore, Gill has also assisted us with other initiatives which we will consider for the future.”
If you are a manufacturer or service business in Kirklees and want to know what support is available, Business Kirklees can help identify grants, make introductions and navigate applications. Find out more about the support available on the Business Kirklees website. You can also sign up to the monthly business bulletin for the latest funding opportunities and events.