Engineering specialist powers up growth ambitions

A Sheffield-based engineering company, which is playing a vital role in helping to shape Britain’s energy sector, is charging up its future growth plans with a commitment to invest a seven-figure sum to meet rising demand for its services.

CTL Seal, which is headquartered in Ecclesfield, recently secured help through the South Yorkshire Digital Innovation Grant scheme to upgrade the vital software used on its CNC machining equipment. Such was the impact of the technology on the business that it is now planning to invest an additional £1.2 million in upgrading its machine shop.

Launched in 1996, CTL Seal is responsible for designing and manufacturing a wide range of engineering solutions, which are used in the offshore, renewables and nuclear industries. With plans to scale the business further, the company began exploring ways of improving its manufacturing processes.

Following an operational review, CTL Seal recognised that one of the greatest challenges it faced in terms of increasing capacity in the business was the software it used to programme its machining equipment. The systems used by the business meant only a small number of programmes could be stored on each machine, meaning that as new products were made, each machine needed to be manually re-programmed.

The company also recognised that each of its employees programmed the machines in a slightly different way and realised that being able to store previous designs, as well as ensuring all machines were programmed in a similar way, would help to increase capacity and reduce down-time. To help facilitate the transition, CTL Seal decided to apply to the South Yorkshire Digital Innovation Grant scheme, a match-funded ERDF funded grant scheme designed to help businesses across the region to improve productivity by embracing new forms of technology.

With funds in place, the new software was installed on 21 different machines, transforming the company’s production capacity overnight. The new technology has helped the company to significantly increase capacity and reduce lead times as a result of the programmes being stored centrally, rather than requiring each individual machine to be reprogrammed every time production changed.

Jamie Black, Director of Machine Services, CTL Seal, said: “We currently produce over 1000 different products inhouse. However, the challenge we faced was that the limitations of the software we were using meant the programmes our machines relied upon couldn’t be stored locally. Each machine could only hold a limited number of designs, and it meant if we needed to change the design, each machine needed to be manually reprogrammed: a process that would typically take at least half an hour. When you add up all those hours, it’s made a significant impact upon the way our business operates.

Clearly this wasn’t an effective way to work. We learned about the help available through the Digital Innovation Grant and decided to apply. The support we received helped us to transform our business overnight. It’s helped us to improve the way we operate as a business, and also reduce the amount of waste produced during our production process.

We have been planning to expand our machine shop for some time, and as a result of the changes we’ve made to the business, we’ve been able to bring forward our plans, and we’re firmly setting our sights on future growth.”

The Digital Innovation Grant scheme was launched in July 2021 and helps SME businesses across South Yorkshire to access match-funded grants to help them embrace new ways of working to improve productivity and growth and enter new markets. The scheme is now closed to new applications.

The programme funded up to 50% of projects with costs totalling £2,000-£10,000. It is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and is delivered across South Yorkshire by Enterprising Barnsley, part of Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council. To find out more information, visit enterprisingbarnsley.co.uk