County Durham-based BTS Facades and Fabrications, a manufacturer of metal rain-screen and fabrications for the construction industry, has been awarded a £50,000 grant from County Durham Growth Fund towards a £155,000 investment in new machinery.

Managing director Phil Atkinson (www.btsfabrications.co.uk: “We recently appointed Mark Wiper as technical manager, and his first objective will be to review and re-rest all our systems.

“We have been very much focused on automation and sales over the past three years, and our existing teams have taken a back seat.

“There are a few improvements we can make, and value engineering will be done, so Mark will initially be focused on system testing, certification and legislative compliance.”

Over the past two years, BTS has invested in five new machines for its facility in Newton Aycliffe — including a panel bender and a new press — to make its manufacturing processes more streamlined and efficient.

“Our strategy for automated equipment is paying off; we have the best automation in the industry, and we always research extensively into the best available machines and software.

“All of this helps our sales team go after those bigger contracts.”