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XYZ 1530VS Lathe
390mm swing, 
730mm b.c., 
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2022
390mm swing, 730mm b.c., DRO, 3- & 4-jaw, q.c.t.p. 2022...

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New chapter for fast-growing Warwickshire engineering firm

Posted on 14 Jan 2025. Edited by: John Hunter. Read 625 times.
New chapter for fast-growing Warwickshire engineering firmDavid Roberts from Tecman Speciality Materials (front, right) and Laura Delahunty from Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub (front, centre) at the Leamington-based business

Leamington-based Tecman Speciality Materials, a provider of advanced materials and services to a variety of industries, is undergoing a significant evolution as part of its ambitious growth strategy as it aims to double its turnover in the next 12 months. The company is renowned throughout the UK as a developer and manufacturer of components using adhesive tape in a variety of industrial sectors including automotive, medical, and renewable energy.

The company has developed anti-thermal propagation technology for electric vehicle (EV) battery packs that prevent or delay heat transfer between adjacent battery cells, effectively optimising cell performance, longevity, and the safety of battery packs.

The business, which employs 35 people, has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary, and is now evolving to create three separate divisions — Tecman Innovation will focus on research and design, to drive the development of next-generation advanced materials, solutions, and processes; Tecman Manufacturing will be responsible for delivering exceptional quality, reliability, and consistency across all its products and production processes; and Tecman Automation will be dedicated to Industry 4.0, developing world-leading manufacturing systems designed for highly automated, cost-effective production.

Before this next chapter in its history, Tecman’s operations director David Roberts contacted Laura Delahunty, Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub’s account manager, to discuss support to upskill its staff. She put him in touch with Warwick District Council, Warwickshire County Council and the University of Warwick Science Park’s Business Ready Programme for various support.

Accommodating rapid growth

Mr Roberts said to accommodate rapid growth it is currently looking to move to bigger premises within the Warwickshire area. He explained: “The changes we are making at Tecman are really exciting and I met with Laura from the Growth Hub to discuss the various funding opportunities that were available. We are on a rapid growth trajectory with a large portion of our business growth coming from sectors identified by the Government as critical to the national industrial strategy, such as the renewable energy sector, which includes wind blade protection and EV batteries.

“We are also well known within the healthcare and life sciences sectors as a result of our work in diagnostics manufacturing and for producing hundreds of thousands of face shields each year following Covid, for health providers in the UK, Norway, Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

“The EV work in particular is really accelerating, and we have secured a significant contract with an OEM in the area which meant we wanted to upskill staff in various areas of the business to help to future-proof our business and meet the demands of the new work that is coming in.

“As part of our strategic workforce development, we initiated our first production apprenticeship with funding support from Warwickshire Skills Hub, enabling the recruitment of machine technician Louie Fitchett. This invaluable support has facilitated the expansion of our apprenticeship programme, and we are now exploring opportunities to introduce apprenticeships across other areas of the business to align with our ongoing organisational evolution.

“We are still a relatively small business but we want to move from our 23,000ft2 premises to a 50,000ft2 facility and the County Council is helping us to identify a suitable location.”

Scale rapidly

Laura Delahunty, account manager at Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub, said she had helped Tecman to access ongoing support as well as providing details of programmes and connections to help with recruitment. She said: “This is a great example of partnership working in the sub-region because Tecman is on track to scale rapidly, and we have found at the Growth Hub that scale-up businesses require different types of support to other SMEs. Tecman is working towards becoming a Tier One supplier to OEMs in the UK and internationally with its EV product, and it has found our support to be incredibly useful.”

Steven Convery, business skills support officer at Warwickshire Skills Hub, said: “The automotive, future mobility, and energy sectors are major employers and drivers of economic activity in the county, and are playing a key role in the UK's green transition. Tecman Speciality Materials is a prominent player in this sector, and we have been delighted to support their workforce development initiatives. In addition to general skills training, we have facilitated connections to relevant support programmes and strategic partners.

“It is gratifying to assist organisations such as Tecman Speciality Materials in taking advantage of our programmes, including the Inclusive Fair Chance Programme and various grant opportunities. The Skills Hub is dedicated to providing the necessary skills support to our local businesses, working closely with Economic Development to ensure they have access to all relevant information and contacts."