Otley campervan firm converts to Yorkshire supplier
Posted by davidb on 17 Jul 2012
Filed under: Leeds Manufacturing News, Manufacturing, news
17 July 2012
Entrepreneur Robert McCandless, a partner in Otley-based Kiravans, has developed a new Yorkshire supply chain and is now on target to increase its turnover from £300k to in excess of £600k over the next 12 months. Kiravans, a mail order supplier to the campervan conversion trade, was set up by brothers Mike and Robert McCandless with
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Move to Leeds spells £1M sweet success
Posted by davidb on 18 May 2012
Filed under: Food and drink, Leeds Manufacturing News, news
18 May 2012
A sweet manufacturing company which moved to Leeds in February this year with help from Leeds City Council is on course to achieve 800 per cent growth in turnover. Candy Makers Ltd has already won large contracts to supply wholesale and retail customers with its sugar-free sweets and plans to recruit up to six new
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Craftsman invests £300,000 in pursuit of £6M sales
Posted by davidb on 16 May 2012
Filed under: Engineering, news
16 May 2012
Precision engineering company Craftsman Tools has invested £300,000 in extending its Otley manufacturing base and storage facilities in pursuit of a £6M annual turnover target. Craftsman grew 2011 sales by 39% to £4.8M and is on course for similar growth in the current year, with around 40% of sales going abroad. The investment has so
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Enterprise zone to bring growth and jobs boost
Posted by davidb on 23 Apr 2012
Filed under: news
23 April 2012
Developers and landowners are predicting a massive boost to growth, investment and jobs across the Leeds City Region when the Aire Valley Leeds enterprise zone goes live at the beginning of April. The enterprise zone is expected to deliver up to 7,000 jobs and £550m of additional economic activity by 2025. The Aire Valley Leeds
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£5M target as cosmetics firm doubles space and sales
Posted by 4dmin on 30 Mar 2012
Filed under: Chemicals, news
30 March 2012
Leeds-based Inline Health and Beauty has invested £350,000 in a relocation that has doubled manufacturing space and created four new jobs in pursuit of a £5M annual sales target by 2015. Founder and managing director Christian Cain plans a further nine new recruits as sales, boosted by new products and re-branded lines, accelerate from last
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3D laser speeds Formula1
Posted by 4dmin on 30 Mar 2012
Filed under: Engineering, news
Leeds-based academic and entrepreneur Andrew Marsden is finding new applications for an innovative modeling process, known as ‘additive manufacturing’, offering low volume component manufacture for the motorsports, aircraft and other specialised industries. His Keyworth Rapid Manufacturing, launched 18 months ago, uses a process known as ‘Selective Laser Sintering’ to fabricate three-dimensional objects. This takes complex
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US go-ahead for Surgical Innovations
Posted by 4dmin on 15 Mar 2012
Filed under: Healthcare, news
15 March 2012
Medical equipment manufacturer Surgical Innovations continues to makes inroads into the lucrative US health market with news that it has secured approval from US Food and Drug Administration for the launch of its reusable PretzelFlex device. Pretzelflex is designed to be used in laproscopic surgery, allowing surgeons to manipulate organs and tissues through tiny incisions in the
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£2M Leeds business steps up for Olympians
Posted by 4dmin on 03 Mar 2012
Filed under: Healthcare, news
3 March 2012
A Leeds company specialising in the design and manufacture of orthopaedic devices for customers including Premier League soccer clubs and Olympic athletes has relocated to new premises in Morley.
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Growing Leeds pancake firm create new jobs with council support
Posted by 4dmin on 14 Dec 2011
Filed under: Food and drink, news
14 December 2011
Businesses in Leeds are being urged to take advantage of grants available under Leeds City Council’s business growth fund to support capital investment and job creation.
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Siemens’ flagship Leeds facility gears up for growth
Posted by 4dmin on 10 Dec 2011
Filed under: Engineering, news
10 December 2011
A new mechanical drives ‘centre of excellence’, opened by Siemens in Leeds earlier this year and involving a £1.2 million relocation, is now fully operational and poised for further growth.
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Innovation, skills and investment key to future of UK manufacturing
Posted by 4dmin on 28 Nov 2011
Filed under: news
28 November 2011
At a debate on the future of UK manufacturing held in Leeds, Graham Bowland, chief executive officer of Leeds‐based Surgical Innovations, said that innovation in technology is key to the success of Leeds manufacturing sectors including healthcare.
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Agfa Graphics plant wins top business award for sustainability
Posted by 4dmin on 25 Nov 2011
Filed under: news
25 November 2011
Agfa Graphics’ Leeds plant has been rewarded for its efforts to eliminate waste and encourage biodiversity with a top business award at the 2011 Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Manufacturing Excellence Awards.
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Top business leaders to debate future of UK manufacturing
Posted by 4dmin on 17 Nov 2011
Filed under: news
17 November 2011
A national debate on the future of manufacturing in the UK takes place in Leeds next week (Thursday 24th Nov). ‘The Business of Manufacturing’ is a Question Time‐style debate, featuring a panel of high profile manufacturing leaders and industry experts, and takes place at Leeds Valley Park. Juergen Maier, managing director of Siemens UK Industry
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Quality not quantity: investment, collaboration and skills will drive UK manufacturing growth
Posted by 4dmin on 17 Nov 2011
Filed under: news
Recent investment in a new Leeds plant by Siemens has seen the transfer of mechancial gear assembly and servicing to a purpose‐built 50,000 sq ft factory in Stourton, close to the city centre of Leeds. Part of a strategic move into offshore power generation, the investment will allow the mechanical drives division to handle additional
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Barkston in fire engineering deal with John Dennis
Posted by 4dmin on 17 Nov 2011
Filed under: news
Engineering specialists at a Leeds company are pioneering fabrication in a material new to the UK for the manufacture of fire engine bodies that are safer, lighter, stronger and more durable. Barkston Plastics engineers were chosen by Guildford‐based coach builders John Dennis to co‐operate on the production of the bodies in the co‐polymer Polybilt, in
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£500K Investment for Growing Leeds Pancake Firm
Posted by 4dmin on 17 Oct 2011
Filed under: news
17 October 2011
A pancake business launched by two university colleagues has secured £500,000 of investment that has enabled a move to a new manufacturing and distribution headquarters in Leeds. Neil Tipping (31) and Jon White (30) met 11 years ago while on the same degree course at Leeds Metropolitan University and opened enjays in 2005 from a
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Microdat Pulls £5M Orders
Posted by 4dmin on 31 Aug 2011
Filed under: news
31 August 2011
The continued growth of independent brewers has created a raft of new orders totalling £5 million and new jobs at Leeds‐based specialist brewing engineer Microdat. Five new jobs have been created with more potentially in the pipeline as orders pour in from around the UK. The St Austell Brewery has placed two major orders for
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Mitsubishi Power Systems to double workforce following £2.5m investment
Posted by 4dmin on 27 Jul 2011
Filed under: news
27 July 2011
Growing demand from power generation customers and strong year on year performance could lead to a doubling of the 50‐strong workforce at the new Leeds base of Mitsubishi Power Systems Europe Ltd (MPSE).
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Investments Power Communisis Growth
Posted by 4dmin on 27 Jul 2011
Filed under: news
The Leeds-based division of marketing services provider Communisis PLC is the UK’s largest print and direct mail production site, employing 420 staff on round the clock shifts and is a key part of the £193m turnover group. Recent investment of £3m in a second HP T300 digital output device, the only two of their kind
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Exquisite Taste of £1.7M Success
Posted by 4dmin on 11 Jul 2011
Filed under: news
11 July 2011
Chartered accountant Viv Parry had a dream of quitting the service sector and getting into manufacturing, coupled with a lifelong passion for quality home baking. The dream came true when she paid £20,000 for the assets of a small Leeds bakery and seven years on Viv and her 30 colleagues at Exquisite Hand Made Cakes
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Airedale opens high tech training school
Posted by 4dmin on 07 Jul 2011
Filed under: news
7 July 2011
Global air conditioning manufacturer Airedale International is tackling the skills shortage within manufacturing by investing in its own high tech training school, based at the company’s 25,000 sqm research and manufacturing facility in Rawdon, Leeds.
New grant scheme will help Leeds businesses grow
Posted by 4dmin on 15 Jun 2011
Filed under: news
15 June 2011
A new business growth fund has been launched by Leeds City Council to help small and medium sized businesses in Leeds expand and recruit new staff. Grants are available to companies operating in a range of sectors including manufacturing, manufacturing‐related services, wholesale, distribution, construction, media production or business to business services. The business growth fund
Stickability builds £60M Leading Brand
Posted by 4dmin on 04 Apr 2011
Filed under: news
4 April 2011
A Leeds manufacturing company that has built a £60 million operation through a combination of innovative product development and aggressive marketing is poised for continued growth with £1 million invested in improved production lines and an additional seven‐figure sum earmarked for expanded manufacturing capacity.
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World Class Leeds Print Shop Trials New Kodak Process
Posted by 4dmin on 04 Mar 2011
Filed under: news
4 March 2011
A Leeds print company’s reputation as an industry leader in direct mail ideas has led to it becoming a Beta site for trialling a revolutionary technique for a new, four colour ink-jet process developed by Kodak. The Lettershop Group (TLG) has been selected to run the trials on the process that allows personalisation of printed
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Cool Half Million Investment in Manufacturing Training Centre
Posted by 4dmin on 25 Feb 2011
Filed under: news
25 February 2011
Leeds-based Airedale International Air Conditioning is making a major investment in a £500,000 state of the art training centre designed to equip a new generation of engineers with the skills and expertise to install and service increasingly high tech air conditioning and control systems. The Leeds-based manufacturer’s brand new training centre will help up-skill engineers
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Siemens Gears Up With £1.2M Leeds Plant
Posted by 4dmin on 16 Feb 2011
Filed under: news
16 February 2011
One of the world’s leading engineering and manufacturing companies, Siemens, has invested an initial £1.2m in transferring its Mechanical Drives business from Bradford to brand new premises on Navigation Park in Stourton, Leeds. The move is designed to enable the £15m operation handle additional and bigger contracts, including work to support the group’s planned major
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Bagel Nash continue retail expansion as sales near £5 million
Posted by 4dmin on 21 Jan 2011
Filed under: news
21 January 2011
A two‐year consolidation period has paid handsome dividends for the UK’s leading independent bagel baker and retailer, Leeds‐based Bagel Nash, which is now producing over a million bagels a month. In 2008 the company launched five new retail outlets in six months, then, in the face of the recession called a halt on expansion in
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£300,000 investment creates new jobs and smarter schools
Posted by 4dmin on 21 Jan 2011
Filed under: news
A £300,000 investment in traditional tailoring allied to smart internet retailing and relocation to larger premises has created over 30 new posts and saved ten existing jobs at a historic Leeds tailoring firm. Perry Uniform was rescued from administration by serial entrepreneurs Bernard and Caroline Bunting in 2007. School uniforms are the core business of
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Boom time for firm with £600,000 cutting edge
Posted by 4dmin on 07 Jan 2011
Filed under: news
7 January 2011
Business is booming for a Leeds company launched under a year ago with a £600,000 investment in the latest laser metal cutting plant. Launched last Spring by Yorkshireman Mike Briggs, Accurate Laser Cutting continues to grow at an extraordinary rate with monthly turnover now exceeding £50,000 and a total of six new jobs created as
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£500,000 Move Grows Bespoke Kitchen Production
Posted by 4dmin on 01 Nov 2010
Filed under: news
1 November 2010
Supplying the continued growing demand from independent kitchen retailers against the mass sales of the DIY sheds has led to a major relocation for Yorkshire’s Designer Factory Kitchens (DFK). Having outgrown its Leeds Road base in Bradford, the company has invested £500,000 in moving to Drighlington, Leeds and equipping its new home with state of
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Skilled Engineering Keeps Bowmen On Target
Posted by 4dmin on 27 Oct 2010
Filed under: news
27 October 2010
Precision engineering in Leeds is helping archers score more golds as compound bows become increasingly technical. The compound bow incorporates a cam system that reduces the strain on a target archer’s arm from 60lbs to a more comfortable 18lbs and in order to have a steady aim, the bow needs careful balancing with rods and
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£130,000 Investment Launches Aerospace Export Trail
Posted by 4dmin on 05 Oct 2010
Filed under: news
5 October 2010
An investment of £130,000 in a new sliding head CNC machine is paying handsome dividends for a Leeds engineering business with an initial order for US aerospace parts worth a third of the machine’s price. Kingfisher (Lubrication) Limited, a £2m turnover company, is machining thousands of hexagonal grease fittings from an exotic nickel-copper alloy for
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Leeds Medical Firm Delivers National Surgical Training Centres
Posted by 4dmin on 01 Oct 2010
Filed under: news
1 October 2010
A Leeds medical manufacturing company has developed and installed ground breaking surgical training systems for two University Hospitals to train the next generation of Britain’s surgeons. University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire in the Midlands and Freeman Hospital in Newcastle have created centres of excellence for tomorrow’s surgeons by installing state of the art
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Rapid Growth On Cards For Craft Firm
Posted by 4dmin on 26 Jul 2010
Filed under: news
26 July 2010
An exclusive watershed deal with TV shopping channel QVC promises to deliver up to 40% of new sales for Leeds-based Craftwork Cards. Twelve years of steady growth have seen Sue Taylor’s bespoke greeting card company approaching a forecast £1.2m turnover this year and a 15-strong workforce recently located to new 7000 sq ft headquarters in
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Power Surge Follows MBO & Move North
Posted by 4dmin on 14 Jul 2010
Filed under: news
14 July 2010
An MBO and relocation from South Yorkshire to Leeds have powered a surge in profitable business for a leading niche player in the electrical engineering industry. Founder Mark Wray and his wife Elaine led the MBO from Barnsley-based Power Engineering Services and moved the business to larger premises in Horsforth earlier this year. The change
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Next Generation Agfa Product Helps Industry & Environment
Posted by 4dmin on 09 Jul 2010
Filed under: news
9 July 2010
Agfa UK’s Leeds plant at Seacroft is working round the clock to satisfy the rapidly growing worldwide demand for its latest innovation in printing plate technology, the Thermo-Fuse chemistry free computer to plate (CTP) product range. Following the success of its market-leading Lithostar printing plate, Agfa has now developed the “next generation” Thermo-Fuse – a
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New Home For War-time Skills
Posted by 4dmin on 09 Jul 2010
Filed under: news
Equipment used to develop prototypes for the Dambusters’ famous “bouncing bomb” has found a new home at Leeds-based jukebox manufacturer Sound Leisure. Dawson’s Pattern Works business has been acquired by Sound Leisure for an undisclosed sum and transferred to its Crossgates factory. And skilled pattern-maker David Whitehead, who joined Dawson’s as an apprentice 46 years
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£600,000 Laser Cutting Investment Speeds Production
Posted by 4dmin on 01 Jul 2010
Filed under: news
1 July 2010
A £600,000 investment in the latest laser metal-cutting plant promises Northern companies an unbeatable combination of shorter lead times and competitive prices. Accurate Laser Cutting has been established on the Stourton Business Park in South Leeds, with the latest Trumpf laser cutting machinery, scheduled to operate 24×7, and eventually creating up to 12 new jobs.
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Manufacturing advice helps company measure up to major new contract
Posted by 4dmin on 09 Apr 2010
Filed under: news
9 April 2010
A Leeds workwear company has won a major new contract worth half a million pounds to supply to a leading international utility company thanks to a package of business support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service. The contract has nearly doubled the firm’s turnover. Dencowear specialises in designing and manufacturing professional workwear for a range of
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Future is Green for Dye Company
Posted by 4dmin on 29 Mar 2010
Filed under: news
29 March 2010
Textile dye manufacturer Town End (Leeds) plc has developed a unique product to open new markets and grow its business during tough times for the textile trade. The £4m turnover company, founded in the 19th Century has developed the environmentally friendly ‘Dyofix’ range of algae inhibitors -lake and pond dyes that eliminate the build up
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New Technology Spurs Growth For Engineering Company
Posted by 4dmin on 19 Feb 2010
Filed under: news
19 February 2010
World-leading technology developed by a long-established Leeds engineering company will play a key role in a new environmentally friendly process set to rival cremation and burial. LBBC Technologies in Stanningley has been chosen by Scottish-based Resomation as their exclusive technology development and manufacturing partner. The Scottish company has developed a water and alkali based process
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Investment & New Products Create Jobs & Sub-Contract Opportunities
Posted by 4dmin on 07 Jan 2010
Filed under: news
7 January 2010
Continued investment in new product development during the recession has paid off for Leeds engineering firm Microdat with a New Year order book already in excess of total business in 2009 and the creation of six new jobs. Santa arrived early for the company that specialises in brewing equipment with a £560,000 order for keg
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Panels Build A Brighter Future
Posted by 4dmin on 04 Jan 2010
Filed under: news
4 January 2010
Suppliers to the construction industry have had a tough few years, but for those continuing to invest and develop new lines and markets 2010 is looking a whole lot brighter. Leeds-based panel manufacturer VC Industries is one such firm now poised to take advantage of the upturn. Despite a 2009 dip in annual sales from
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Beer, Bacon and Cheese Clinch First US Export Deal
Posted by 4dmin on 04 Dec 2009
Filed under: news
4 December 2009
A winning combination of skilled Yorkshire engineering, bacon and cheese has clinched the first US export order for brewing equipment manufacturer Microdat. Showcasing its state of the art cask washing equipment at the Munich Drinktec Exhibition, the Leeds firm received enquiries from around the world. And the Summit Brewery, from Minnesota wanted to take the
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Controlling The Flow Lands £4.5M Order
Posted by 4dmin on 27 Nov 2009
Filed under: news
27 November 2009
A Leeds-based manufacturer of process control systems has landed its largest single order from the water industry for this type of equipment. Software designers and engineers at Saftronics Limited are currently working to fulfil the £4.5 million order from Severn Trent Water for its Minworth waste water treatment plant near Sutton Coldfield. The bumper order
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Made In Leeds – A Precision Hole For Off-roaders
Posted by 4dmin on 25 Nov 2009
Filed under: news
25 November 2009
Future owners of upmarket British four-wheel drive vehicles will be able to relax confident in the knowledge their luggage is secure, thanks to millions of precision holes, currently being engineered in Leeds. With over a 140 years of skilled engineering under its belt, Meanwood-based Kingfisher (Lubrication) Limited has gained an opportunity to complete the sophisticated
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Rare Print Jewel Turns Art Into Science
Posted by 4dmin on 22 Jul 2009
Filed under: news
22 July 2009
A Leeds printing company launched successfully in the depths of the 1970’s recession is bucking the current downturn and thriving in a fiercely competitive market place with a state of the art £200,000 digital press the latest in a series of investments. Jade Print was established by former copier technician Dennis Shepherd at the height
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World Power Chase Relies On Pool Resources
Posted by 4dmin on 11 Jun 2009
Filed under: news
11 June 2009
The dash by emerging economies for improved infrastructures means good news and new jobs for one of the Leeds district’s longest established companies. Pool-in-Wharfedale based Weidmann Whiteley has long been a serious producer of insulation products for the global power industry and as countries including China, Brazil and India propel the worldwide demand for electricity,
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Cutting Edge Business Beats Recession
Posted by 4dmin on 02 Jun 2009
Filed under: news
2 June 2009
Hunslet-based Garcross Engineering, launched by a pair of skilled sheet metalworkers with £1000 capital in the Seventies, has progressed to £3m turnover, an impressive high profile customer portfolio and now a new £350,000 state of the art management suite dedicated to the best customer service levels and working conditions. This latest in a series of
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Expanding Signs Of The Times
Posted by 4dmin on 19 May 2009
Filed under: news
19 May 2009
A leading UK signs company that has grown consistently in its 17-year history to top £12m annual sales is extending its Leeds premises to handle bigger projects, increase warehousing and bring metalworking production in-house. The new 2,000 sq ft extension will enable Omega Signs to increase lean manufacturing processes, staging additional staff training and improved
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