New jobs on the way as Leicester firm lands grant

Welham Motor Company, the Leicester firm which repairs and rebuilds all types of diesel engines particularly for buses, coaches, boats and locomotives, has received £15,000 in grant funding from the Collaborate project.

Welham Motors was established in 1947 by Ken and Vera Welham. Today the business trades throughout the UK and specialises in the reconditioning of engine components. The Collaborate grant has contributed towards the purchase of a Rottler F10A CNC cylinder boring machine which is used in the reboring and refacing of cylinder blocks; the largest component of an engine.

The new machine works much faster than the firm’s existing one, which is nearly 40 years old, with greater accuracy and less operator intervention.

The grant will also mean the business will create jobs as the operators will have more time to train other team members and, potentially, new apprentices.

Finance director, David Cram said: “To stay competitive we have to keep investing in new machinery. Our current boring bar was long overdue for replacement so the Collaborate business grant has enabled us to speed up the process of replacing the old equipment and serve more customers. Having access to the grant is going to make a real difference to the delivery of our current service.”

Leicester City Council is the accountable body for Collaborate. Sukhbinder Basra, Collaborate grant manager at the Council said: “We are extremely pleased to support Welham Motor Company with this grant funding. More and more businesses are realising the value of the advice and funding available, so it’s fantastic to see the difference the project is already making.”