Coventry-based P&D Engineering (www.panddengineering.com) is putting together a team of world-class engineers to help drive its rapid growth, following Business Ready support and a £32,000 grant from Warwickshire County Council to purchase
a new machine.

The company designs and engineers a range of machines and 3-D parts for clients that include JCB, Jaguar Land Rover, Caterpillar and British Cycling.

Run by Phil Vandries, it has expanded its workforce in the last 12 months but is still looking for more engineers. It wants to grow by another 50% over the next three years, and it is forecasting a 25% increase in its turnover this year.

In 2003, Mr Vandries won the UK final of the World Skills Competition (in the Mechanical Engineering CADD category) and then represented the UK in the world final (in Switzerland), finishing in 12th place.

Since buying P&D Engineering in 2015, he has added two more international finalists from the World Skills Competition to his team, as well as drafting in four apprentices.

Mr Vandries said: “I bought the business in 2015 and we were facing a number of challenges,. There was the need for liquidity to grow, and we had older machines, so we were not as efficient as we needed to be.

“We wanted to move the business forward but were at a stage where, if we didn’t invest, we were going to start being unable to fulfil orders, let alone bid for new business.”

Alex Toft, a Business Ready adviser at the University of Warwick Science Park, said the firm should be recognised for its growth and its commitment to skills: “P&D Engineering is a wonderful success story for this region. The grant came at a critical time, enabling the business to grow.”