Smethwick-based Techniswage
www.techniswage.co.uk, which specialises in sub-contract tube end forming plus the production of swaging-machine spares and tooling, is one of the first beneficiaries of the Express & Star’s Green Shoots fund.
Supported by the Black Country Enterprise Partnership, local authorities and the local chamber of commerce, this fund has been set up to help small and medium-size enterprises create new jobs and promote growth in the region. Sums from £10,000 to £50,000 are available for capital investment projects that must be completed by January 2015, with support provided in the form of coaching and mentoring to ensure the best return on each investment.
A couple of years ago, Techniswage was sub-contracted by a company in Yorkshire to produce the tapered stainless-steel tubes that rose from the ground to form the cauldron lit by the Olympic torch at the 2012 Olympic Games in London — a project so secret that the company had no idea what they were for.
Company director Paul Fellows says: “We started producing the tubes in February 2012. We knew they were for a major event that year — perhaps the Diamond Jubilee or the Olympics — but I only found out when I was watching the opening ceremony on holiday. It was incredible.”
The company is now hoping to build on that success and boost its work in supply chains for the likes of luxury car maker Maserati. Mr Fellows currently heads a team of 12 people, along with works manager Andy Durham. With the £30,000 awarded to the company from the Green Shoots fund, they plan to create two new jobs and expand their operations.