Cheshire East Business Support

22 Workwear

Fri, 25 Oct 2024 13:34:56 GMT

Open in Crewe Supports 22 Workwear

Workwear business says speed of move would not have been possible without council grant

Cristi Bugnariu is the owner and proprietor of the business ‘22 Workwear’ a business which up until this year had only operated online.

That changed in the spring when Cristi was successful with an application for the Repurposing our High Streets grant, enabling him to turn his online business into having a physical profile in Crewe as well.

Cristi’s business, which provides printed and embroidered workwear for individuals and businesses to order in Crewe, opened its first premises on Edleston Road earlier this summer and he’s not looked back since.

“My long-term plan was always that I wanted to open a physical premises when the time was right but finding that right time was the tricky thing. I had anticipated being where I am now in about a year’s time, so the grant has massively helped me to accelerate my plans for the business.

“I remember the moment I stood in my new shop on the first day. I felt so proud. I was certainly nervous about all the work that I knew I had to do but without the grant I wouldn’t be in a position to even be thinking about those things just yet. Now I’m not just thinking about them, I’m doing them too!

Having secured a premises, Cristi is using the rest of the grant money to fit out the shop the way he wants it and he’s certainly keen to make the best of the opportunity he has been given.

“I realise that I was very fortunate to benefit from securing this grant funding and all I’d say to anyone else thinking of making a move like I have is, ‘go for it’, as you never know what is possible until you try.

“My family has been a huge support to me in my journey, always telling me to keep going forwards, and that’s my message to anyone else who might be looking for a bit of support. Keep looking ahead. The grant was brilliant for me, and it could be for you too.”

Qualkem

Thu, 26 May 2022 13:53:39 GMT

A Crewe based manufacturer of eco-friendly domestic cleaning products, with support from the Sustainable and Inclusive Growth programme, has invested in a new automated production line to give it a competitive edge and drive sustainability within its market.

Enabling revenue growth of £175,000 and creating 3 new jobs, with environmental sustainability.

Opportunity to grow sustainably
Qualkem, a 2nd generation family business, based in Crewe, have invested in an additional automated bottle filling line, a s part of their planned strategic growth strategy.

Proud of their " Green Chemicals in Green Packaging" philosophy, the company invested in energy-efficient equipment to continue their sustainability journey and to improve efficiency and productivity.

We have also benefited from support from Cheshire East Council through the Sustainable Inclusive Growth programme and have proactively engaged with the business mentoring and support from the Business Support Hub team.

substantially increases production throughout and reduces energy consumption for every production run.

Ivan Anketell-Clifford, Director, said: “I additional automated bottle filling lin will allow us to offer another packaging regime to our existing customer base as well as enabling us to actively market to new sectors, for example the cosmetics sector. Moreover, this project will allow us, and our customers, to do our bit for society and the environment, and place more sustainably packaged products on the marketplace.”

The Solution
The project involves reconfiguring a 5m2 section of the factory and installing a fixed automatic tube labelling machine, along with an automatic 5-250ml plastic tube filling and sealing machine.

The labelling machine will be operated by an operator stacking tubes into a carousel that feeds individual tubes onto mandrills that rotate, applying a label. These are then discharged onto a conveyor for bulk packing off, or transferred by conveyor onto the tube filling and sealing machine. Each machine will be operated by two people, or three if machines are running concurrently.

Benefits to the business
The filling and labelling machines will produce between 1,800 and 2,400 tubes per hour, with the capacity of manufacturing 10,000 daily. This is forecast to grow sales by over 25% over the next three years.

The investment will also create two new jobs, including a dedicated machine setter, and upskill the roles of existing packing assistants. Meanwhile, the new roles will free up the production supervisor to develop new opportunities and income streams.

Ivan said: “We believe we will be the only UK company in our market capable of doing both tube filling and labelling, that specialises in small production runs. This will give us our edge. The new machinery will start making money straight away by adding a new business capability whilst utilising resources very efficiently.

“We are entering a key expansion phase where being able to provide flexible solutions and rapid response will become essential in conquering new markets and new, more demanding customers. The new machinery is going to make a huge difference to our company’s future and will help us achieve our true potential. This project will also spearhead the company’s journey towards more sustainable packaging solutions and overcome an existing Minimum Order Quantity barrier to market for start-up businesses or indie brands who can use us to produce smaller orders, and we can grow together.”

Larkspur Lodge

Thu, 26 May 2022 09:07:25 GMT

Larkspur Lodge in Knutsford is a converted 18th century shippon barn that still boasts a number of original features, including beautiful red brick walls, barn style windows and exposed timber trusses. Available for exclusive use wedding and events Larkspur Lodge provides a beautifully rustic backdrop for celebrations.

Enabling business recovery post pandemic. Retention of existing jobs and creating 8 new jobs.

Opportunity to recover and grow

Larkspur Lodge is an exclusive use wedding and events business in Knutsford. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the business, had to transfer or cancel over 120 weddings. This had a huge detrimental effect on the business and the health of employers and employees.

Since re-opening post pandemic, the business needed to invest heavily to improve their infrastructure so that they could manage the higher volume of weddings and events. One key area was improved kitchen facilities that were needed to facilitate the backlog of bookings, including new ovens and fridges as well as a more environmentally-friendly extraction system.

The business also i nvested in improved and extended outdoor areas to ensure they become more of a feature for winter as well as summer to maximise t he availability / appeal for the usually quieter months. They installed new outside awnings, outdoor heaters and durable decking (non slip for winter and wet months).

The Solution

The recovery and growth programme supported the business with grant funding for the kitchen upgrades as well as the improved outdoor areas.

Benefits to the business

The business have been able to retain all of their existing employees as well as recruit 8 new local employees. The recovery and growth plan has secured the development of their existing team, three of which have been given promotions.

T he business has also seen an increase in revenue and improved energy efficiency.