Rubber firm expands and doubles turnover

AN Alcester firm has doubled staff and turnover after investing £1.4million in new premises.

Artel Rubber, which makes a range of hoses for a variety of industries including rail, automotive and energy, has moved to a purpose-built property on the Springfield Industrial Estate.

It was previously based in three separate units in Bidford. The move was supported by the Coventry and Warwickshire LEP Growth Hub, which helped the company secure £100,000 from the Regional Growth Fund. And it has already seen productivity rise by almost 50 per cent, as well as leading to new domestic and overseas orders.

The company hand-makes thousands of products each year and exports to Australia, Europe, the USA and China. It now employs 43 people.

Simon Lavin, executive director of Artel Rubber, said: “We wanted to move to the next level and we simply couldn’t have done that without moving to a new home. “We’ve reinvested money from the business and we’ve been supported by the bank but we needed more to make the whole project work.

"Thankfully, the Growth Hub could see the potential and the ambitions we have and without that money, we couldn’t have made the move.

“We have just picked up a new contract in the rail industry overseas and I don’t think we could have gone for it without the move.

“We are now looking at opening further overseas facilities to help us win more work, particularly in the Far East.”

Phil Peak, an account manager at the Growth Hub, added: “When you look at the outcomes that the support has achieved, it really has been very positive for the company and for the local economy.

“They’ve taken on more staff, moved into new premises, they’ve become more productive and are now competing for and winning work on a scale that they couldn’t have done before.”