SAF marks 10th anniversary with £300m funding milestone

A company specialising in asset finance solutions and commercial sales support has passed the £300m milestone of assets financed.

The landmark has been achieved as Cheshire-based Solutions Asset Finance (SAF) celebrates its 10th anniversary.

SAF supports major suppliers of assets across the UK, giving them an alternative to capital purchase.

The firm’s key sectors are the NHS, public sector, green technologies and modular buildings, where SAF has established itself as the UK market leader.

Its clients include Carl Zeiss, Schneider Electric, Hill-Rom and ModuleCo Healthcare.
 
During the past 10 years, transactions have ranged in value from £25,000 to more than £10m.

The company also provides clients with a dedicated sales support service to its supplier clients, helping them to significantly increase their sales conversion rates. The service has now been packaged in a product called Mind the Gap, which launches this month.

Steve Bowers, founder and managing director of SAF, said: “We have grown significantly during the past 10 years and this year will see us explore some new key markets and provide further significant growth.

“We have the flexibility to be able to provide our clients with the right service for them whether it is finance, sales support or a combination of the two.

“We are firmly established in our key sectors of healthcare, public sector, green technologies and modular buildings. Within each of these sectors we work with a select number of global and national suppliers to provide a service that goes well beyond that of a finance company. We support sales teams in all commercial aspects in order to close sales.

“Within the public sector, we have completed transactions with over half of the UK’s NHS Trusts. In the private sector, we work closely with a large number of corporate clients with whom we have written substantial volumes of business.

“Over the next 12 months we expect to see substantial growth in our core markets via the introduction of our Mind the Gap product and in two new markets – modular housing and commercial battery storage.

“The demand for modular housing is increasing rapidly due to the pressures to develop more affordable housing and the number of builders entering the space. This market will complement our existing work in modular buildings, particularly within the NHS and public sector.

“It is a similar story with battery storage, the single biggest growth area in the renewable energy sector. We have been active in the wider green technologies market for several years, helping organisations to fund energy saving projects that would otherwise require substantial capital investment.”

Bowers, whose business is based in Ellesmere Port, added: “The launch of Mind the Gap, putting more emphasis on our commercial sales service, brings together support across a number of vital areas including procurement, financial and accounting, legal documentation, taxation and board approval processes.

“We pride ourselves on not just being a leading name in asset finance, but also in providing clients with expert sales support giving them the best possible opportunity to close sales.”