Member Article

Rugby automotive supplier more than halves carbon emissions after green grant

A leading automotive supply company in Warwickshire has slashed its electricity bills and emissions after it was awarded grant funding as part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Progamme.

Rugby-based Autins Ltd, which manufactures state-of-the-art acoustic material designed to reduce road noise, improve thermal insulation which prevents waste of heat and energy and create a pleasant driving experience, has cut its carbon emissions by more than half and reduced its annual energy costs by thousands of pounds after fitting its head office and production facility with LED lighting.

The refurbishment was made possible after the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) Growth Hub put the business in touch with the Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme which awarded Autins a £20,000 grant. The programme, which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is being delivered by Coventry City Council, Coventry University, and Coventry University Enterprises Ltd to enable local businesses with fewer than 250 employees to implement low-carbon efficiency measures.

Autins, which trades on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (AIM) and supplies to global companies such as Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover and the Volkswagen Group, made the switch to LED lighting as part of a long-term plan to reduce its carbon footprint.

The group has been operating in Warwickshire for more than 50 years and became well known within the automotive sector for manufacturing parts for the original Mini. The latest measures will reduce their lighting costs by an estimated 59 per cent, with a saving of 209,861 kWh providing an energy cost reduction of £27,052 per year, and a reduction of 53 tonnes of carbon per year.

Dean Trappett, Group Engineering Manager for Autins Ltd, said: “This project is part of a larger plan within Autins to reduce our carbon impact and the grant has helped us make good progress this year.

“We found out about the Green Business Programme after looking into the ways we could reduce our energy usage and discovered that LED lighting was an effective method and were impressed by the envisaged savings after installation.

“The main benefits of the switch will, of course, be more greatly felt in the long term in terms of emissions, but the aesthetic impact is very noticeable and gives the site a forward-thinking feel and is a reminder of the path that the company is taking.”

Adam Plumb, account manager for the CWLEP Growth Hub, said: “The Green Business Programme was created to enable SMEs in the Coventry and Warwickshire area to utilise the latest developments in energy, waste, water and resource efficiency alternatives, with the cost savings then available to be reinvested.

“We are delighted to see that Autins has taken advantage of the programme not just as a one-off, but as a sustained plan to reduce its emissions, and we are encouraging all eligible business to get in touch and discover what funding might be available to support these incredibly important projects.”

Matthew Dillow, Green Business Programme Lead at Coventry City Council, said: “We’re really pleased to be able to help Autins to reduce their carbon footprint by over 53 tonnes a year through grant funding. Moving to energy efficiency solutions makes economic sense as well as providing an improved working environment. It is great to see another local business which is committed to reducing their carbon footprint.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .