Prometheus helmet maker CMA Moldform secures funding
A BIRMINGHAM manufacturer which has supplied props to major Hollywood movies is targeting fresh growth after a new funding deal.
CMA Moldform develops and manufactures rapid prototypes and scale models for a wide variety of industries from the art world to the automotive industry, but it has also been commissioned to produce special effects for the film industry and is probably best known for the astronaut’s helmet it produced for Sir Ridley Scott’s sci-fi blockbuster Prometheus.
To help support its day-to-day work, the company has secured new funding from an initiative managed by Birmingham City Council.
It has been granted funding through the council’s Business Innovation Programme (BIP), which promotes innovation across the West Midlands by helping SMEs to grow through investment and job creation.
Funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the £8.7m programme offers match-funded grants of up to £30,000 to SMEs employing up to 249 staff throughout Coventry and Warwickshire, as well as the wider region including Staffordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and the West Midlands.
The grant is aimed at B2B companies which are involved in environment and energy technologies, rail, IT and digital, digital media, medical technologies, aerospace, business and professional services, building technologies, food and drink, advanced materials and manufacturing.
CMA Moldform is using its funding to invest in a unique piece of equipment – the first of its type – which will enable the firm to produce extremely accurate parts in a temperature-controlled clean room, as well as speeding up production to cope with market demands.
Peter Turnock, managing director at CMA Moldform, said: “We’re thrilled to have been awarded this funding as it is a key component in the continued development and expansion of our unique operation.
“Manufacturing is a key sector for this country as we come out of recession, and the greater West Midlands is at the very centre of this resurgence; we’re riding a wave and Birmingham is a very exciting place to be right now.”
Grant awards of between £10,000 and £30,000 are available to support existing profit-seeking SMEs which have been trading for more than six months and are ready to undertake investment in innovative production processes that will lead to new, close-to-market products.
Birmingham City Council is now urging other SMEs across Coventry and Warwickshire from eligible cluster groups to apply for funding before February.
Cllr Tahir Ali, Cabinet Member for Development, Transport & the Economy at Birmingham City Council said: “This funding could be transformational in enabling companies across Birmingham and the West Midlands to experience significant growth and development, as well as creating new jobs.
“Small businesses that are looking to purchase capital equipment; research, develop and launch new products; or improve their marketing strategies, should seriously consider the Business Innovation Programme.”
