Member Article

Major new contracts secured following investment

A North East furniture manufacturer has made a £400,000 investment in new board cutting machinery, which has led to £3m worth of new contracts in October.

Established in 1947, Godfrey Syrett designs, manufactures and distributes furniture from its sites in Durham and Killingworth, to clients throughout the UK operating in the education, public, leisure, defence and commercial sectors.

To accelerate the business’ plans to target new clients, particularly in the commercial sector, and to respond to demand for larger-scale jobs, the firm has invested in a new state-of-the-art industrial saw, which can cut and label up to 20,000 panels per week on a single shift. The innovative piece of machinery will allow the business to treble its production capacity and shorten lead times, whilst minimising possibility for error.

Neil Tweddle, managing director of Godfrey Syrett said “Investing in this new machinery is an important step forward in our growth strategy and complements our existing methods, whilst bringing innovation to the manufacturing process. It has enabled us to immediately take on larger-scale jobs and as a result we have secured £3m worth of new contracts in the last month, which is fantastic news for the business.”

The firm, which offers a range of services to complement its furniture portfolio including space planning, re-upholstery, design consultation, and installation services, has won major new contracts in competitive tender to supply a range of bespoke furniture to a number of Ministry of Defence sites in the UK. This will include beds, desks, tables, seating and storage to furnish newly constructed accommodation for military personnel. Godfrey Syrett were awarded the contracts by offsite construction companies Caledonian Modular (part of the Caledonian Group) and Rollalong Modular Construction who are building the new accommodation.

This latest investment is part the business’ long-term strategic plan to increase its turnover from £25m to £40m by 2020 and create new jobs as it targets growth in the commercial sector.

Mr Tweddle added “We believe it is important to move forward and embrace the use of innovative tools and processes that will enable the business to flourish in the long-term. By investing in manufacturing hardware at this stage, we will be more strategically placed to meet the increased demands of a more competitive market as the economy continues to improve and this will help us achieve our goals.”

The firm also recently acquired a new distribution site at Belmont Industrial Estate in Durham, which is currently undergoing a six-figure refurbishment. The new premises will replace their existing distribution facility in Durham, and will double its space to accommodate the business’ expanding operations.

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