The financial director of one of the largest engineering employers in the West Midlands  has thanked the Think Sandwell team for our role in helping his company secure thousands of pounds of grant funding to modernise its operations.

Brockhouse Group Limited has been manufacturing at its West Bromwich site for over 120 years. The company forges steel products for a wide variety of industries, including mining, railways, power, automotive and defence. It also offers other related services such as machining, sub assembly, fabrication and the worldwide sourcing of forged components.

The funding has enabled the company to invest in new machinery, refurbish existing equipment and update the lighting and heating at its premises to be fully fit for the 21st century.

“The investments made have greatly increased our efficiency, capability and reliability,” said financial director Steve Walters. “Thirty five percent of our parts are already directly exported overseas and we aim to increase this further with newly opened markets in Australia and Russia.”

Established in 2010, the Regional Growth Fund is a government-led initiative which supports eligible projects and programmes in raising private-sector investment to create economic growth and lasting employment. The Think Sandwell team has extensive experience in helping local businesses access this funding and, in Brockhouse’s case, helped the company secure £125K.

“The grant support was invaluable in assisting us with the capital investments necessary to modernise the business and enable us to grow,” said Steve. “We have recently been recognised as one of Sandwell’s top 50 fastest growing’ companies.”

This is a major achievement for a business that began in 1885 with just eight employees. Thanks to the RGF grant, Brockhouse is facing a healthy future as one of the region’s major employers.

Congratulations to Brockhouse Group Limited. Take a look at our Business Services pages to see how Think Sandwell could help with your business development plans.