Month: May 2021

£2m investment puts TMD Friction in the driving seat for growth

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TMD Friction

TMD Friction in Hartlepool has outlined ambitious plans to grow during 2021 after securing over £2m of investment from the TMD Friction Group.

The global automotive manufacturer, which has one of two UK production facilities in Hartlepool, has been making parts for the passenger car aftermarket since 1974 and now employs 449 people in the North East.

TMD Friction, which manufactures brake pads for 95 per cent of the models of Europe’s aftermarket, including emergency services vehicles and many of the major distribution small trucks and vans, moved to its current base on Oakesway Trading Estate in 1998.

And despite the challenging economic climate due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, TMD Friction is building on a successful end to 2020 and first quarter of 2021 by continuing to scale up production to meet global demand and expects to be making around 120,000 parts per week throughout 2021.

The growth has been supported by investment in new employees and new machinery, including £450,000 on a new paint line and £250,000 on state-of-the-art air compressors. Further investment has been made to make the plant Covid-safe, to upskill staff in all areas of the business, improve health and safety performance and in better software and technology to boost internal communications processes.

TMD Friction’s CEO, David Baines, said: “The Hartlepool site has grown massively in the past 12 months, despite the global coronavirus pandemic, and we now have the broadest capabilities in the group at Hartlepool. In fact, the chances are if you are changing the brake pads on your car, they will have been made in Hartlepool.

“To build on that, and really establish this facility as a global centre of excellence, the group has committed significant investment which will support the continued scale up of production.

“Alongside that, we are investing in our existing workforce and bringing new talent into the business which will help us achieve the ambitious plans we’ve put in place for the current financial year.”

The past 12 months have seen 52 new products introduced at Hartlepool and two new flagship customers added to TMD Friction’s portfolio of automotive manufacturers.

The company’s other UK sites in Elvington, Warrington and Cleckheaton have also benefited from investment to support operations at Hartlepool.

Tom Russell, UK Operations Manager, added: “The growth at the Hartlepool plant over the past 12 months – probably the hardest 12 months we’ve ever faced – is down to the dedication and commitment of our workforce.

“As a team we’ve shown real resilience and as a result only six days of production time were lost during the pandemic – six days where we closed the plant and worked round the clock to get the production areas Covid-safe.

“Since then, production has been significantly upscaled and we’re now making more of the product range here at Hartlepool than anywhere else in the world.

“That’s something we’re incredibly proud of and credit has to go to our staff who have worked tirelessly to ensure we’re consistently meeting production targets.”

Mullen Stoker feature: Why teamwork is key to company growth

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Mullen Stoker Team

CHARTERED accountancy firm Mullen Stoker celebrated its tenth birthday last year, marking the milestone by announcing ambitious plans to grow across the region.

The Durham-based company, which now employs 15 people, is branching out in Northumberland, having secured the services of rural and farming expert Cathy Eales who is well established in the area.

And as director Neil Mullen tells us, it is the people within the company that are key to its continued growth and success.

Since launching in 2010, Mullen Stoker has enjoyed year on year growth, building up an extensive portfolio of accountancy clients from sole traders to footballers, TV stars to large corporates.

Alongside the accountancy division of the business, Mullen Stoker has also seen its IT department grow rapidly, particularly over the past 15 months as more and more businesses have introduced a hybrid model allowing staff to split their time between the office and home working.

Now, as the company looks to build on the success its enjoyed in its first decade of operations, director Neil Mullen is keen to praise the role every member of staff within Mullen Stoker has played in the year on year growth.

Neil, who co-founded Belmont Business Park-based Mullen Stoker with fellow director Gary Stoker, said: “There’s no doubt our hugely talented team is the most important ingredient in our continued success.

“We’re incredibly lucky that every member of staff, regardless of their role or seniority, is committed to doing the very best they can for the company. They really do excel in their own roles and specialisms and are happy to share their knowledge to others in the team so we’re all constantly learning.

“I can genuinely say that without the people, we would not be where we are now.

“Thyey are at the very heart of what we do, and whether it’s investing in our existing employees or recruiting young talent or personnel with vast industry experience, every individual is as important as the next.

“I also think we’re fortunate that everyone within Mullen Stoker genuinely likes working for the company – we spend more time with the people we work with than our families so enjoying coming to work is a must.”

Mullen Stoker recently announced the appointments of Cathy Eales and Steve Hutton, who have joined the team to spearhead the growth in two key areas – Northumberland, where Cathy was previously based and has extensive knowledge and contacts, and auditing and compliance, which is Steve’s area of expertise.

Neil added: “Attracting people of Cathy and Steve’s calibre will ensure we build on the success we’ve enjoyed in our first 11 years and help us realise our ambitious vision to establish the business as the leading chartered accountancy and IT specialist in the North East region.”

EDBS hails success of new starts and growing businesses

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LEC Client Work

A BUSINESS support organisation has hailed the success of the businesses and entrepreneurs it has supported, proving the coronavirus lockdown wasn’t all doom and gloom.

In the 13 months since the country went into lockdown, East Durham Business Service has helped a number of budding entrepreneurs to launch their own business.

Alongside the new-start support it provides, the Peterlee-based organisation has also welcomed several new firms into Novus Business Centre and played a pivotal role in the growth of existing tenant companies.

One new addition to the facility is e-commerce specialist Rogers and Rogers, which works with online retailers to grow their digital presence and increase sales online.

The company was launched by husband-and-wife Andrew and Kimberley Rogers in 2017, who decided to move into Novus Business Centre earlier this year after outgrowing their home office.

Andrew said: “Our business quickly outgrew the space we occupied at home, and alongside the fact we wanted to take on professional office space to host client meetings, we decided it was the right time to make the move.

“We knew about Novus Business Centre so came to have a look, and felt the facility was the perfect environment for us to grow our business.”

The first few months of 2021, most of which were spent in the third national lockdown, have also proved fruitful for long-term tenant LEC Communications and Design, which moved into Novus Business Centre in 2013 having been launched by communications expert and former business journalist Leanne Fawcett the year previously.

Leanne said: “After what was undoubtedly a challenging 2020, I’m delighted to say the first four months of this year have been really good for us, with several new businesses coming on board and existing clients increasing the support they receive from us.

“I’m now looking forward and feel optimistic that the growth projections I put in place at the start of last year are once again achievable.”

East Durham Business Service has also helped several budding entrepreneurs launch their own businesses during the pandemic, including Peterlee mum of two Aiysha Homer who founded Dreadsrock; Amy Speckman from Murton who set up Sweetie Treats; and Melissa Pigford, who is the most recent enterprising success story, having launched Material Mel Creations, which makes eco-friendly bags, in December 2020.

Melissa, 30, from Peterlee said: “I’ve always had a feeling I’d end up starting my own creative business. My background is a mix of fine art, textiles and costume design, so I have a wide variety of skills that blend really well with making eco-friendly bags and accessories.

“My adviser was Hina Joshi, who was great in working with me to develop a business plan and review all elements of running a business, so I was properly prepared when I did launch Material Mill Creators.

“I am really enjoying working for myself, being able to fully showcase my creative passion, and am excited to see the business grow as we gradually return to normality.”

The new-start support offered by East Durham Business Service is through the Enterprise Support in the North East programme through the European Regional Development Fund.

Denise Fielding, Operations Director at East Durham Business Service, said: “There’s no denying it’s been a tough 12 months for the business community, but there are some real positives to take from it too.

“We have been able to support existing tenants to grow, we’ve welcomed new companies into the centre and we’ve helped budding entrepreneurs realise their dreams of starting their own businesses. For me that’s testament to our resilience and determination that even when the chips are down, we have remained committed to doing what we do best – nurturing business growth and helping new starts launch, both of which are vital to the region’s economic growth and prosperity.”

New owners target triple growth for training and apprenticeship provider TACS

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TACS Training

NEW owners of a training and apprenticeship provider have announced ambitious plans to triple the number of learners it supports into careers.

TACS, based at Novus Business Centre in Peterlee, was recently bought out by business owner Neil Armstrong and son-in-law Daniel Cooper.

The company was launched 14 years ago to support the manufacturing and engineering sectors and grew to support around 60 apprentices per year working with employers across the north.

In December 2020 Daniel and Neil – with the support of TACS’ existing employees –  took the helm and quickly restructured the management team. Adrian Joyce was appointed to head up the Housing and Property apprenticeship programmes, a new venture for the business; Rob Dignen remianed Head of Manufacturing and Engineering; whilst operationaly Daniel is overseeing the Trade and Wholesale department.

After undertaking a comprehensive review of the business, its clients and the potential to grow, Daniel has revealed TACS’ management team is planning to increase the number of apprentices it supports by around 200 per year and add to the company’s internal headcount with at least four new reruits across its new departments, taking its workforce to 14.

Expansion has already started with the appointment of three new members of staff and the internal promotion of Phillipa Walker to manage Support Services.

Daniel said: “The buyout of TACS was opportune really. I was already delivering apprenticeships within the Trade and Wholesale industry which unfortunately came to an unexpected end when the whole department was made redundant in March 2020.

“When I spoke to owner Rick Nicholson, it was clear he was in the market to sell, so I spoke to my father-in-law and we decided it was the perfect fit. The buyout was completed in December and now we’ve got to grips with the business, we have mapped out how we want it to grow over the coming years.

“The transfer of my existing apprentices and appointment of Adrian in Housing & Property allowed us to become a national provider overnight and we are now delivering apprenticeships for clients  right down the country to the South Coast.

“Our future plans include initially tripling the number of apprentices we have on our books, from 60 to around 180, and strengthening our team with at least four new people from their respective industries, which we can then train to be trainers – individuals who share our ambition to really establish TACS as one of the leading training and apprenticeship providers in our sectors.”

TACS offers bespoke learning and development solutions, tailored specifically to meet the individual needs of every client regardless of their size, whether they’re in the manufacturing, engineering, housing or trade and wholesale sectors.

Daniel added: “We are hugely passionate about what we do and want to position TACS at the heart of our clients’ growth plans.

“We really believe we can take this business to the next level and are confident that we can achieve the rightly ambitious plans that Neil, Adrian, Rob and I put in place when setting out our growth strategy. We will achieve these plans whilst maintaining quality of education and positive destinations for our apprentices, despite the challenges that the coronavirus pandemic has presented.”