Solihull manufacturer awarded £30,000 growth grant

Left to right: Controlsforce managing director Marc Bozdogan with Mayor Richard Parker, Solihull Council leader Councillor Ian Courts, and Controlsforce general manager David Hennessy

Solihull-based www.theforcegroup.co.uk/controls-force Controlsforce Ltd, an electronic engineering and control panel designer and manufacturer, whose control systems already power industry in the UK and further afield, is continuing its growth into international markets thanks to funding from Business Growth West Midlands (BGWM)

Mayor Richard Parker and Solihull Council leader Councillor Ian Courts visited Controlsforce at the end of last month to hear how a £30,000 growth grant has helped fund the expansion of the company’s manufacturing facility and enabled it to increase its workforce, to taken on a major new overseas contract.

Managing director Marc Bozdogan now expects turnover to more than double this year as the company scales up its exports on the back of the additional capacity funded by the grant. After starting out as a specialist electronic engineering and electrical control panel manufacturer, Controlsforce has grown to offer a full design and build service, alongside software development, consultancy, fault-finding, repairs, and on-site commissioning.

The company is part of The Force Group which now employs 30 people at its base on the Monkspath Business Park, growing from just three people since relocating to the West Midlands from North London. Mr Bozdogan said: “Controlsforce has always benefitted from a team of experienced engineers and has developed a great reputation for the design and build of bespoke control systems, but we needed to expand the manufacturing facility to fully realise our potential and give both new and existing clients the confidence that we could deliver on their larger projects.

“This funding has also helped us to invest in the business with a new production area and take on new experienced control panel builders. Our expansion has already helped us to secure a significant long-term contract from a major EPC contractor, serving the international semi-conductor industry. Our UK-built control systems are giving excellent results in a small number of their Asian and South American sites, giving us confidence that we will see many years of sustained growth as our systems are rolled out across their global facilities.”

The Mayor said: “The ambition shown by businesses like Controlsforce is crucial to bringing back economic growth to our region - one of my top priorities. That is why I backed Marc and his team with the funding they needed to expand their premises and hire new staff, and that investment is already paying off. With 10,000 businesses already supported and more than £10 million in grants given to firms, I am delivering on my commitment to make our region the best place in the UK to do business.”

BGWM, which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), provides SMEs with tailored packages that help them grow, adopt digital technologies, transition to new supply chains, and access funding opportunities. SME Grants are delivered in partnership with the WMCA’s local authority members.

Councillor Ian Courts, leader of Solihull Council and its cabinet member for the economy, said: “We are incredibly proud to support local businesses like Controlsforce as they expand and thrive on the global stage. By investing in our local enterprises, we are not only helping to boost the regional economy but also showcasing the innovation and excellence Solihull has to offer the world. It was great to meet Marc and the team at their expanded Blythe Valley facilities. I am always keen to visit forward-thinking businesses like Controlsforce and find out what more we can do to support their continued success.”

Next month, the Mayor will host the first-ever West Midlands Business Festival which will bring new start ups, executives and entrepreneurs together for a series of events so they can get behind his mission to turbocharge economic growth. Places at more than 80 events across two weeks from 3 March can now be booked at here.