Bolton firm goes from bookbinding to aerospace

A MANUFACTURING business that previously supplied book binding material has won a £1m contract with a major aircraft maker.

Bolton-based Bindatex has diversified from supplying precision cut paper, fabric and foil for book binders to cutting narrow width tapes of composite materials that can be moulded into light but strong aerospace components to replace metal parts.

Bindatex began working with the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) in 2010 when it was turning over less than £60,000 a year. It helped founder Chris Lever secure an £11,000 grant from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) to conduct a market feasibility study of the high-tech composites market.  

The company has now secured a contract with a composite manufacturer and a European aircraft maker. Its identity has not been disclosed but TheBusinessDesk.com understands it is Airbus. As a result Bindatex has taken on three more members of staff and invested in new machinery. It is forecasting a rise in turnover to £200,000 this year and £350,000 in 2015.
 
Mr Lever said: “The decision to diversify and explore new ways of using our skills and equipment has completely transformed and future-proofed this business. Working with MAS gave us the confidence to prove that our precision cutting processes were ideally suited to the creation of sophisticated composite materials and then ensured we made the right connections within the aerospace industry.”