Member Article

A cut above the competition

A specialist titanium supplier is a cut above the competition after winning two new contracts worth more than £500,000.

North Shields based 3G Titanium imports titanium from China and recently started cutting the semi-precious metal using a ultra-high pressure water jet cutting system (UHP).

The company is now celebrating after the first orders for its complete importing and cutting service secured the company lucrative contracts to manufacture sub-sea buoyancy aids and seawater buffer tanks.

Kevin Henry, 51, who started 3G Titanium in 2010 with his wife, says the new contracts will lead to further growth and create seven new jobs in the UK directly and a further five new jobs indirectly as they plan to further develop the UHP cutting system.

Mr Henry, who has over 30 years of experience in engineering, said: “These new contracts are fantastic news for the company.

“It’s always a gamble to diversify your business but it’s really paid off for us.

“We hope these new contracts will be the stepping stone to further European and International growth.”

With financial support from the Investment for Growth fund, the company was able to secure the contracts after applying for important ISO and AS190 Accreditations which are demanded by the industry.

Mr Henry said: “To be able to move into the rapidly growing sub-sea and aerospace industries and quote for bigger contracts we needed to ensure our quality management systems were accredited.

“Investment for Growth has been able to help us gain these accreditations so now we can push forward to win more contracts and create further jobs.”

The company has also incorporated a client tracking and ordering system into its website which will be beneficial when trading internationally.

The titanium is imported to the company’s North Shields workshop where it is then cut to order using ultra high-pressure water jets.

Mr Henry is optimistic about the future and said: “As we develop our customer base we are looking to expand and take on seven new employees by next March and a further five once we re-engineer the UHP Systems for European use.

“3G Titanium is a business I started following semi-retirement. Things are going really well so I might have to put retirement on hold for a little while longer.”

Investment for Growth was able to provide 40% of the funding needed by the company to apply for the internationally recognised accreditations.

Mr Henry said: “I would definitely recommend anyone requiring funding for growth projects to use Investment for Growth.

“The entire process was quick and straightforward. As long as you know your business, you’re onto a winner.”

Paul Brown was the Investment for Growth advisor appointed to support Kevin through the application process.

Mr Brown said: “It was extremely rewarding for me to be able to assist this dynamic, forward-thinking business. I am confident that they will achieve their business goals much sooner than anticipated.”

Grants of up to 40% of the total project value are still available to firms in the North East wanting to put into place business development projects that will secure jobs and help them grow.

So far Investment for Growth has helped North East businesses with funding in excess of £1.8million.

To be eligible, businesses must be based in the North East and provide a business-to-business product or service.

To find out about Investment for Growth call 0191 426 6408 or email enquiries@investment4growth.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ian Benet .