Regenerate Pennine Lancashire offer business support to new and growing businesses, which includes one to one business advice, grant funding and workshops.
Regenerate’s Lancashire Innovation Network (LIN) service works with growing companies with a need to exploit technology or innovation, helping them reach their potential and become more competitive.
Here are two great examples of how LIN has provided support to businesses in Burnley. Burnley’s Key Digital Limited is an office solutions company who supply everything for the office, from paper clips to Multi Function Devices (photocopiers), along with full service contracts.
The business used to take orders by telephone and researched prices from their suppliers manually, which was very time consuming. Managing Director Andy Ratcliffe realised that a new computer management system could handle some of the work and make the process more efficient. The new system was required to automate sales orders, take away the manual need to look up prices and prepare invoices for customers. It was also required to automatically find the best prices to improve profits and feed these directly to a new integrated e-commerce website for customers.
Andy contacted the Lancashire Innovation Network for help in 2011 after hearing about the service via word of mouth. A Regenerate Business Advisor helped Andy create a detailed specification of the required software and helped him source the best design company available for the job after short-listing several others. Andy also received a grant from the Lancashire Innovation Network to help pay for the new system.
Following the success of the new system and improved business performance, Andy is now looking to recruit four more staff.
“We couldn’t have taken on more staff until we were more efficient. The new computer management system that Regenerate helped us to source provided Key Digital with the first step needed to grow. We are now looking for four more staff.” – Andy Ratcliffe, Managing Director, Key Digital.
Broadland Design & Engineering
With the support given by Regenerate, various companies have shown an interest in our new Snap on Tap joint product” Harry Mitchell, Broadland Design & Engineering (2008) Ltd.
Burnley’s Broadland Design & Engineering has patents on a number of inventions, including a smooth flow pipe connection system. Company Director Harry Mitchell approached LIN for support in raising awareness of a new product, a domestic tap that can be installed above a bath or a basin by someone with no plumbing skills or tools. It was recognised that there would be a high demand from the general public for “quick fix” taps such as these. Broadlands worked in collaboration with an engineering firm to create manufacturing drawings and a sample. LIN supported the cost of producing a trial batch for testing and evaluation by a number of companies, including Methven, Wicks and B&Q.
LIN also identified six UK companies who would have use for Broadland’s flow pipe connection system, four of which then expressed interest and arranged meetings with Broadland. Two of these firms are local to Blackburn.
The help from Regenerate has provided Broadlands with the potential to grow, reach new markets and introduce a new product. It is hoped that this will help the company expand and recruit additional staff.
Original source: https://issuu.com/burnleygraphics/docs/ib5