Member Article

Active Composites on growth trajectory following Nissan contract win

Ashington-based manufacturer Active Composites is eyeing growth after securing the contract to supply components for the Nissan Qashqai and completing a successful North East support programme.

The firm makes polyurethane foam-based products for a range of uses, including the passenger door armrests in the new Nissan Qashqai.

A £70k loan from the Business Northumberland High Growth Programme meant managing director Alan Harold could scale for growth.

He said: “Our first few years of trading coincided with the economic downturn so times were tough,” said Alan. “Winning the initial contract to supply Nissan’s Tier One supplier R-Tek with the interior material for the side impact pads in the Micra came along at just the right time.

“However in order to meet the huge demand for the Nissan Qashqai we needed new premises, plant and machinery and that’s when I first looked into the Business Northumberland High Growth Programme.”

The High Growth Programme forms part of Business Northumberland which offers established and start-up businesses in the county free support in reaching their full growth potential.

It is a free service that provides advice and support to anyone thinking about starting a business and also offers coaching to existing businesses with growth ambitions.

Oxford Innovation is the UK’s leading specialist provider of business coaching and programme manager Mike Jobson worked with Alan to develop a growth strategy underpinned by funding.

Mike said: “When I first met Alan, Active Composites was already a well-established business working with R-Tek and delivering to their very exacting quality standards.

“The opportunity to supply the material for use in the new model Nissan Qashqai presented Alan with a fantastic opportunity to grow the business still further but he needed to get properly resourced in a very short period of time.”

Now from its new premises on the Wansbeck Business Park in Ashington, Active Composite’s 16 employees are gearing up to produce 600,000 armrest inserts for the 2014 Qashqai.

Alan added: “It’s a great team and they have worked incredibly hard. We only moved in to the new building in early December and yet we’ve already produced more than 37,000 armrests so we’re well on track to complete the full order to the specification required.

“I would recommend Oxford Innovation and the Business Northumberland High Growth Programme to any aspirational firm in the county.

“As well as providing very practical support to the business, Mike has been an inspirational personal mentor, coaching me through a very demanding but ultimately rewarding period of change. It is no exaggeration to say that without his support Active Composites would not be in the strong position it is in today.”

Business Northumberland is jointly funded by Arch, Northumberland County Council and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Oxford Innovation’s methods have proved successful elsewhere in the UK, where the organisation has worked with over 2,500 high growth businesses. And despite the challenging economic circumstances of the last three years, Oxford Innovation has helped its clients across the UK access over £100 million of funding, creating or safeguarding more than 1,600 jobs.

Anyone wishing to find out more about the Business Northumberland High Growth Programme and how Oxford Innovation can potentially support their business should call 01670 528403, email northumberland@oxin.co.uk or visit www.businessnorthumberland.co.uk.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .