Brewery engineers set to double turnover after LEP grant

Investment and a grant from the Leeds City Region LEP has enabled specialist engineering firm Brewology to invest in new machinery and staff, with plans to double turnover in the coming year.

The Holbeck-based company which designs, manufactures and installs cask filling and cleaning equipment and software, has acquired a new CNC machine and conveyors, enabling it to increase capacity by 30%.

It has also hired two more staff to its 15-strong headcount to deal with what it calls a boom in craft brewing with the LEP grant of £17,763.

The company has invested a total of £89,000 in the new machinery as it looks to target further growth. Last year it saw turnover double from £664,000 in the year to July 2015, to £1.35m in 2016.

Growth is being driven by small craft breweries as well as large drinks manufacturers such as Sharps, Heineken and Fullers.

David Grant, the company’s managing director said: “The UK and the United States are in the middle of an explosion in craft brewing. In the UK alone there are 2,000 brewers, with new brands and breweries entering the market every week.

“The new machine is now fully operational. We’ve already employed two new members of staff – a skilled machine operator and a fabricator – and this has allowed us to significantly reduce our machining times, which will be reduced even further when the new conveyors are installed.

“We’ve had straightforward support from the LEP which we’ve appreciated, and we’re continuing to work with our Growth manager Melanie Parker. That’s why we agreed to be in a video about the LEP’s #LetsTalkRealBusiness campaign.”

Roger Marsh, chairman of the LEP said: “Our #LetsTalkRealBusiness campaign is all about getting to the heart of what matters to business owners. As David says, when you see export opportunity and want to grow and employ staff, investing in new equipment can make a significant difference in scaling up.

“The LEP can help in a practical, no-nonsense way and I encourage other SME owners to get in touch and talk about their real business needs.”

Cllr Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council and chairwoman of the LEP investment panel said: “Leeds has a proud and successful history as a centre for the brewing industry and this continues today with the growth of small and medium size craft brewers such as North Brew, Northern Monk and Leeds Brewery.

“Many of these have received grant support through the LEP business Growth Programme and it’s fantastic that we can support investment to create new jobs within the wider supply chain for an industry that’s booming.”

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