Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 40 | Page 15

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 15
Leading the way – BTS’ team (left to right)
design and manufacturing director David
Precious, managing director Phil Atkinson,
non-executive director Gary Lumby and
transport manager Chris Atkinson.
Aycliffe fabrication firm spurred
on by latest expansion
By Martin Walker
A
Newton Aycliffe fabrication business
which worked on Tottenham Hotspur’s
new stadium has revealed further
expansion plans.
Family-run BTS Facades and Fabrications
has taken up additional 10,000 sq ft of space
on Aycliffe Business Park to cope with
demand.
The firm – already a well-established
premier supplier of metal CWCT tested
rainscreen systems and fabricated metal
construction products – unveiled a £1m
investment in its Aycliffe HQ last year.
Now BTS has created additional space on
Maple Way, opposite Planet Leisure, to split
its product lines and improve turnaround
times for clients.
The company – which manufactured
facades for Tottenham’s new ground, now
the biggest club stadium in London – has
also installed two new automated machines,
a new press brake, new office space as well
as making key infrastructure changes in a
commitment which takes its spend to £2.1m
in less than a year.
Managing director Phil Atkinson said: “We
reached a point where we had to look at
more space and more machinery to meet
demand.
“A few years ago, we started to look at
automation, and we have recently taken
delivery of the UK’s first Trumpf fully-
automatic panel bender, which bends
rainscreen panels, as well as ordering a fully-
automated punching system
“Some people believe that automation
equals job losses, but it’s quite the contrary
in our case – our head count increased from
40 to 55 over the past 12
months.
“For us, automation
isn’t just about speed
and efficiency, it’s also
about quality. Using this
new equipment, a typical
rainscreen panel is bent to
perfection in the third of the
time of a traditional press
brake, and then every panel
after is exactly the same.
“We have seen exceptional
growth over the past few
years and now is the right
time to invest to ensure we
keep up the momentum.
“The automation we’ve invested in fits our
key objectives of quality, speed, efficiency,
and ensures we stay one step in front of our
competition.
“The new unit will enable that side of
the business to really get back to basics,
and concentrate on what has established
us as one of the UK’s market leaders in the
flashing market.”
After growing from six staff and a turnover
of £375,000 in 2009, BTS now employs 55
full-time staff with an annual turnover of £7m
– up from £5.1m in 2018.
But sales in the firm’s current financial
year, ending in March 2020, expect to top
£9m.
Gary Lumby, non-executive director at
BTS, added: “The increase in the volume
of work that BTS are experiencing is due to
a number of factors, such as the quality of
their work, the speed of tunaround and the
ability to design as well as fabricate their
own rainscreen products. This has made the
decision to expand premises further very
easy to make for the management team.
“I’ve been working with BTS for nine
months and I’ve been astounded at how
quickly they are growing.
“The challenge for the team is to manage
that growth, of course, but fortunately the
company is well managed, it’s well funded
and has a really well-spread customer base,
so I can’t see anything but a bright future for
the company.
“I think we’ll see a 50% growth in turnover
this year, which is great for employment and
the local economy through the supply chain.
“So it’s really good news not only for BTS,
but for the whole of the Newton Aycliffe
area.”
Find out more about BTS at
btsfabrications.co.uk