Bringing Aycliffe Business Park Together | 9
/NEWS
Business BITES
KETTLE ON FOR TEKMAR
Rapidly-growing Tekmar Energy
has agreed a deal to take over the
former Tetley’s tea factory on Aycliffe
Business Park.
The engineering firm, which provides
bespoke cable protection systems to
both the global oil & gas and offshore
renewables industries, will move in to
the 90,000 sq. ft. facility as part of its
expansion plans.
Tekmar, which last year increased
its workforce from 70 to 100, will
move its HQ to the Heighington Lane
Business Park unit, and hope to grow
turnover from £22m to £50m by 2016.
WOOD EXPERTS KATELL
SET TO RECORD 10%
TURNOVER JUMP
A Newton Aycliffe company
that supplies a variety of
wood products to a string
of household retailers is set
to report a 10% increase in
turnover.
Katell specialise is manufacturing fireplaces
and surrounds, producing around 500 every
week and supplying to the likes of ASDA,
Homebase, Tesco and many national house
builders as well as social housing providers
and local authorities up and down the UK.
But the Aycliffe firm, which is owned by
Telford-based Charlton and Jenrick (with a
group turnover of about £13m), also make
wardrobes, occasional furniture and products
for the care home market - new lines of the
business which now makes up about 30 per
cent of turnover.
Katell, who employ 72 people at their 46,000
square foot facility, are expecting turnover to
top £6m by the end of March, a rise of 10%,
while they’re also planning to invest in new
machinery in the coming months.
Design director Martin Holmes, who has
been with the company since it started in
2000, helped to develops the firm’s product
ranges since the move to new premises on
Durham Way North after fire struck its old
factory on Park 2000 eight years ago.
“We’ve also increased our workforce to 72,
and have just taken on a new sales rep to
cover the North-West and West Midlands.
”
Like a lot of firms, Katell has had to change
its business to cope with the climate.
GYM DEAL CLOSE
A state-of-the-art gym will form part
of an exciting £1.5m football facility
on the park.
The Soccer Factory now hopes to
open its indoor five-a-side complex
in the spring, and bosses behind the
new facility are close to agreeing a
deal with a leading North East leisure
firm to operate the 12,000 sq foot
health and fitness club within its
premises.
Martin added: “Fireplaces and surrounds
have been our mainstay from day one and
we continue to mass produce them for
councils as far Cornwall, South Wales and
Yorkshire and up to Scotland, as well as for
big name national retailers.
WHERE’S SPENSLEY?
“Our in-house design team has over 20
years experience in the furniture and joinery
industry. Our designers can create fully
working prototypes from basic sketches or
fully detailed piece part drawings using the
latest 3D modelling software.
We were unfortunately only able to
carry two pictures from the event
because Aycliffe Fabrications boss
Dave Spensley somehow managed to
get himself in just about every shot
taken by our snapper.
“We can supply realistic renderings so that
you can look at a model before we commit
to prototyping, and using software such as
Alphacam and Solid Works final designs can
be transferred straight to our CNC routers,
not only saving time and money but ensuring
100% accuracy of the finished product.
“We have an extensive range of timber
processing machines along with highlytrained operatives, meaning we can produce
accurate components machined to a very
high standard.
“Also, all components produced at Katell are
hand-finished to ensure the best possible
products is supplied to our customer.
”
“We have had a really good start to the year
and we are working on a couple of exciting
projects, said Martin.
”
Katell are geared up to produce anything
from a one-off bespoke piece of furniture
to high-volume batches of components.
“One is sub-contract work for a shop fitting
company who are renovating a first class
lounge at Heathrow, the other is counters
and benches for a new chain of Italian
restaurants in Glasgow.
More about them can be found at
www.katellcommercial.co.uk and
www.katell.co.uk
You’ll recall in our last issue we carried
a page feature on Vince Cable’s visit
to Aycliffe Business Park for Hitachi’s
construction ceremony.
So we’re starting a new competition:
Where’s Spensley? See how many
times you can spot him in this issue.
Usual competition rules apply.
NEW ARRIVALS
• Aycliffe Business Park welcomes
a new specialist gym at Northfield
Way. After two years of planning
and research, fitness expert Terry
Anderson