The grant we’ve received from the County Durham Growth Fund has been invaluable to us as without it we probably would have only been able to purchase one machine.
Niall Ash
Director
A fast -growing engineering company has created six jobs after investing in new state-of-the-art machinery to enable it to bring in more work.
Consett-based Ashgarth Engineering was founded by directors Niall Ash and Paul Westgarth in 2017 having previously worked together for different engineering companies.
Initially just the two of them, the business quickly grew and in 2018 the company took on its first member of staff.
Today, Ashgarth employs 14 people with plans to increase headcount to 19 by 2023.
Recently the company made a successful application to the County Durham Growth Fund and was able to invest in two new machines which are allowing the company to engineer parts in a seamless, single process which has improved efficiency and productivity.
Niall said: “The grant we’ve received from the County Durham Growth Fund has been invaluable to us as without it we probably would have only been able to purchase one machine.
“The investment we’ve made into the new CNC machines is really enhancing our offer to clients. At a time when every penny counts in terms of production processes, these machines are simplifying the way our products are engineered.
“It means we’re in a much stronger position to secure larger orders with much bigger companies, which is fast-tracking our growth plans and should see our turnover pass the £2m mark by 2025.”
Ashgarth Engineering, which works with clients in sectors including oil and gas, healthcare and subsea, is based at Number One Industrial Estate in Consett and last year relocated to larger premises on the site, supporting the company’s year on year growth.
Paul added: “Since Niall and I set the business up in 2017, we’ve invested wisely and have also maximised the grant support available to us, which has enabled us to purchase more machines and create jobs which have put us in a very strong position in terms of our plans for the future.
“Since we secured the investment from the County Durham Growth Fund, we’ve created six jobs taking our workforce to 14 and over the next 12 months we expect that number to rise to 19.
“It’s an exciting time for the business and we’re proud to be bringing employment to the Consett area.”
The County Durham Growth Fund is managed by Business Durham in partnership with UMi and is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). All successful grant applications are appraised by UNW LLP, an independent firm of chartered accountants and business advisers.
Stuart Armstrong, DBOP Business Engagement Officer at Business Durham, said: “Niall and Paul have worked so hard to build up a successful business and now, thanks to the grant support secured through the County Durham Growth Fund, they’ve been able to purchase two machines and create six new jobs, cementing their future in Consett.”
Simon Allen, investment centre director at UMI, added: “The County Durham Growth Fund is here to support businesses that want to invest to enable them to secure larger contracts, break into new markets and create jobs, and that’s exactly what Ashgarth Engineering are doing.”
Lara Marshall, Grant Support Services Manager at UNW, said: “Ashgarth Engineering is a real success story for the area. It’s excellent to see them continue their expansion with the funding provided by the County Durham Growth Fund, increasing their client base and creating more jobs as a result.”
Some of the businesses we've helped
Finance Durham
The benefit of speaking to Maven about the Finance Durham fund is the flexibility of the fund on offer, which means we can invest from a small amount up to several millions via equity or debt.
Michael Vassallo
Maven Capital Partners
Power Roll
Maven helped us in terms of facilities by introductions into Business Durham, and also the funding opportunities here in County Durham, which really did help pull a package of measures together, which made the premises we're in today, Jade Business Park, that compelling proposition.
Neil Spann
CEO
TinkleGuard
For anyone looking to develop their business idea, DCI provides the resources and community to make that journey less daunting and more successful.
Angela Davidson
Founder
Empowerment Learning Ltd
The DCI programme has been fantastic. The personal support, mentoring, and different perspectives from the cohort have validated my belief that what I'm doing is correct and has a real impact.
Kelly Walton
Founder
%20-%20Medium2.jpg)
Reign Accounting Ltd
The support and friendships I've developed through DCI have been invaluable. Learning from other start-ups and having a community to lean on has made a significant difference in my entrepreneurial journey
Nicole Collins
Founder
AImploy
The DCI program has been instrumental in our journey. The networking opportunities and support from DCI contributors have been invaluable in shaping AImploy into the company it is today.
Arjun Cheruvally
Co-founder
Marmax Products
We have been delighted with the support that Business Durham and their partners have provided our company and with additional funding, we hope to further develop our working practices to safeguard our existing business and expand our capabilities to meet new customer demands and expectations.
Dave Johnson
Managing Director
Redditch Medical
NETPark is a fantastic place to do business in terms of facilities, potential for growth and for collaboration.
Steve Brown
Managing Director
Tekgem
The facilities and ancillary business services here are second to none and the campus feel of the science park suits the culture within the company.
Ian Gemski
Director
SEEDS
The ecosystem in NETPark is just right for us; SEEDS first came here because of its partnership work with the CPI and now our vision is to have a busy lab facility developing various applications and licensing them out to companies.
Peter Chalder-Wood
Head of Strategic Partnerships
Magnitude Biosciences
We expect to more than double the team in Sedgefield to 45 over the next two to three years, with a larger commercial team allowing us to expand our global footprint.
Dr Fozia Saleem
CEO
Teescraft Engineering
Teescraft Engineering has been a major employer in County Durham for a number of years and I’m delighted that, with grant support through the County Durham Growth Fund, the company is embarking on ambitious plans to significantly expand.
Hazel Sykes
Business Durham
ATT Fabrications
We knew we had the space to add new machines which would not only improve productivity and efficiency but also allow us to add new products and processes, the County Durham Growth Fund helped this happen.
Andrew Devlin
ATT Fabrications
AAA Caring Caretaker
The Caring Caretaker is a company that’s grown from one to a team of 41 and is now, with grant support from the County Durham Growth Fund, in the process of taking its business journey to the next stage, moving to much larger premises and creating a further 10 jobs, cementing its long-term future here in County Durham.
Sarah Slaven
Managing Director, Business Durham
Renovo Solutions
We’ve been incredibly lucky to have secured financial investment from Business Durham which really has been crucial to the growth of the business and fast-tracked our plans in such a short space of time.
Antony Gray
Founder
Ashgarth Engineering
The grant we’ve received from the County Durham Growth Fund has been invaluable to us as without it we probably would have only been able to purchase one machine.
Niall Ash
Director
TO Mounter
We were looking at investing in new machinery which would enable us to expand our client base, and our accountant mentioned the County Durham Growth Fund to us.
Lisa Mounter
General Manager
Creator
Investing in this additional space means we now own our future – we’re not in anyone else’s hands and that’s a fantastic position to be in.
Ryan Carter
Founder
E Catering
We took on more space than we needed to, allowing for our planned growth over the next five years, however with the grant support we’ve had from the County Durham Growth Fund, we are now looking at achieving our projections in the next three years.
Reece Ingham
Head of Finance
Tridonic
It has been a testing couple of years due to the pandemic and this support has been invaluable. Going forwards, we intend to invest further in technology and skills to strengthen our position in this competitive marketplace.
Ben Kennard
Manufacturing and Supply Chain Manager
Newton Press
We’ve got a great team now and looking ahead this year, for us it’s about building on what we have, and then expanding with new orders and further investment at the right times to propel this business forward in this new space.
Stuart Howarth
Sales Director
Get In Touch
Business Durham is the business support service for Durham County Council, helping to deliver more and better jobs and a strong competitive economy.
Contact our friendly team for help with your business.