A glass engineering company based in Chessington has achieved landmark growth, after seeing a 30% increase in productivity.
Structura, which has an annual turnover of £15 million, designs and manufactures a range of curtainwall products including roofs and canopies for a range of clients including Guys and St. Thomas’ NHS Trust, Heathrow Airport and The National Archives.
The company says it is looking to cement its position by expanding its client base and increasing its product range, after securing an asset finance facility from Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking to upgrade its I.T. system.
The funding facility has also supported the purchase of a computorised double headed saw, which has significantly increased the speed of aluminium cutting in the manufacture process, growing Structura’s output levels by 20%.
Through increasing its efficiency, the company now has the capacity to expand its presence across the education, transport and leisure sectors.
Structura is now working with new translucent wall and roofing material Kalwall, to secure future projects. It currently employs 96 staff and is looking to hire more technicians to support its growth.
Rob Sanders, co-founder and director of Structura, said: “The business is going from strength-to-strength as we gain momentum and branch into new sectors. We needed to free-up capacity in order to continue to win high-profile clients and secure future projects. The funding support from Lloyds allowed us to do this and in turn devote more resources to our growth strategy.
“By working with the latest materials, we can offer our clients choice and stay on top of the latest industry developments. We’ve been with Lloyds Bank for the past 25 years and they’ve provided upfront advice on how best to manage our growth. This support means we can expand our business at the right pace for us.”
Vanessa Spires, relationship manager for manufacturing in the South East, Lloyds Bank, added: “The manufacturing and engineering industry is highly competitive and companies need the best facilities behind them. Structura is experiencing rapid growth in its field and the tailored support package we’ve provided will deliver lasting benefits for the firm.
“We’re committed to helping businesses across Britain prosper which is why we’ve grown our net lending to SMEs by over 31% across the last six years – ensuring more companies can achieve their ambitions.”
