Micro-Mesh

With a growing clientele featuring household names such as Caterpillar, JCB and Rolls Royce to name a few, the recent relocation of Nottingham based Micro-Mesh to Blenheim Industrial Estate is aiding the company in making its debut on the international scene.

With a growing clientele featuring household names such as Caterpillar, JCB and Rolls Royce to name a few, the recent relocation of Nottingham based Micro-Mesh to Blenheim Industrial Park, which came with excellent road links and 20,000 sq. ft. of space, is not only enabling the company to go from strength to strength on the UK market, but has also aided it in making its debut on the international scene.

Relocation to larger, more cost effective premises, which could be used as a showpiece to introduce customers to, was an essential move for the evolving business in order to aid the completion of its long term goal of doubling its turnover over the next five years. For Managing Director James Underwood, a combination of Nottingham’s strong engineering reputation, together with a database of 40 years’ worth of Midlands based contacts and relationships, made relocation within Nottingham the smartest choice.

Staff retention was also a key consideration for Micro-Mesh, who boasts excellent staff retention rates, with 60% of the workforce having served for a minimum of five years. The move within the city ensured that no members of the team were lost, while the appealing position of Blenheim Industrial Estate proved to be beneficial for all parties as “the location is very convenient for the motorway, meaning it is easily accessible for deliveries, easy for clients to visit and easy for staff to travel to.”

For Micro-Mesh, the new office has provided “a blank canvas designed in a way to be the most efficient for us”, while the extra space has given the company the opportunity to develop new projects and products as well as leaving room for future expansion. The focus for the firm, who annually reinvest up to 50% of their profits into research and development as well as state of the art machinery, is clearly on long-term growth and investment. For James, “the extra space has opened our eyes to new opportunities; without space you can become blinkered, but now we can look at taking on new projects and developing innovative, market driven products.”

The filtration company’s expansion in terms of space, clientele and products, is not only providing Nottingham with increased long-term employment opportunities – the city can look forward to a recruitment drive of 15-20 new members of staff over the next 5 years – but will also aid Micro-Mesh in fulfilling its objective of increasing profit by 25% by 2016.

However, it isn’t only the relocation to Blenheim Industrial Estate which is enabling this growth: a long-standing relationship with our universities and Micro-Mesh’s continued success in developing innovative products, have come hand in hand. Since 1975 the company has been building a well-established relationship with the University of Nottingham, which Establishes Micro-Mesh at the “forefront of engineering technology.” The team has been working closely with both universities to test and trial new products, and looks forward to welcoming a student on a work-based placement in the near future. Similarly, James is currently working on creating a Knowledge Transfer Partnership opportunity for the universities, which will aid the team in developing and designing an array of pioneering options for their growing customer-base. Always striving to be more cost-effective in the long-term, Micro-Mesh will also be working with the University of Nottingham to install a solar energy system into their new offices in 2015; a move which will no doubt allow the team to invest more of their profits into innovation, rather than running costs.

Success within the East Midlands and the UK more generally has also recently allowed the company to venture onto the international market. After being wowed by the potential opportunities available in India whilst at the Excon show in 2011, an event which Invest in Nottingham is consistently a part of, Micro-Mesh has been working on a joint-venture which has now allowed them to open their first office in India (Micro-Mesh Engineering India Private Limited) and they look forward to welcoming their first overseas employees in 2015. This move, which will enable the company to double profits year on year from 2017, provides Micro-Mesh with an opportunity which “cannot be underestimated.” As well as receiving help from the council in arranging meetings and attending overseas exhibitions, James understands our involvement in aiding East Midlands businesses in expanding on the international market as a “huge positive.”

Despite the steps that are being made in order to become an international leader, Micro-Mesh’s heart will still remain very much within Nottingham. The company acknowledges that “it is crucial to have a leading example and ‘parent company’ for newer offices to follow”, as achievement abroad “most definitely depends on the success and efficiency of the Nottingham based site”. Therefore, while the Indian office flourishes, the Blenheim Industrial Estate site will continue to provide Micro-Mesh with potential Midlands based customers, as its growing team of loyal employees and academics from our leading universities continuously strengthens the company’s evolving products.