Grant support helps Leeds water treatment company excel

A manufacturer and supplier of products for water treatment, filtration and purification has invested £220,000 in relocating to new premises in Allerton Bywater, with the support of a £25,000 grant accessed through Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership’s (LEP) Growth Service.

Excel Water Ltd manufactures, installs and services water filtration and purification systems for clients across the UK in the automotive, food manufacture, chemicals industry and toiletries sectors.

Managing director Emma Armitage and her brother Darren Field took over running the family-owned business two years ago. Supported by the LEP Growth Service, turnover has now reached over £1.1 million and the move is expected to open up opportunities for further investment and growth.

Grant support for relocation from Ledston Luck Enterprise Park to the new 1,250 sq ft premises at Kiln Park in Allerton Bywater, has allowed the company’s offices, manufacturing and storage to be brought together under a single roof. A new testing and research facility has also been created.

The LEP Growth Service is delivered in Leeds in partnership with Leeds City Council and Leeds Beckett University. The service aims to link SME businesses to the wide range of support available through the LEP and other organisations, including grants to help invest in growth, create new jobs and prosperity for the region.

Emma Armitage said: “The move to the new premises has enabled us to bring all our business under one roof and accelerate our plans for growth. The support we’ve had from the Council and the LEP has been fantastic and has really supported the growth of our business. We are excited to take the business to the next stage and are looking forward to the new challenges this will bring.”

Following the move, Excel Water’s team of nine full-time and part-time staff is set to expand, with five new jobs in the pipeline, including a new business manager, water treatment engineer and accounts administrator, plus two trainee positions.

Cllr Mohammed Rafique, Leeds City Council executive member for employment, enterprise and opportunity said: “It’s great to be able to support innovative local businesses that are investing in growth and creating high quality employment, together with opportunities for young people. Water quality is a major issue here in the UK and abroad, so there is undoubtedly a huge market for the expertise Excel Water can offer.

Expansion of the business will allow more large-scale projects to be undertaken such as those recently completed at a large car manufacturing plant in Oxfordshire and a major regional hospital in Lancashire.

The project in Oxfordshire involved the design, manufacture and installation of a system capable of processing 40,000 litres of water per hour. The system uses nano filtration and reverse osmosis to produce pure water used to clean vehicles in between paint applications.

In Lancashire, team has installed a water purification system for a major regional hospital, designed to treat water extracted from the hospital’s own bore hole. The system takes out iron and other metals present in water taken directly from the ground.

Emma Armitage said: “Water quality is critical for hospitals, for food preparation and in many other manufacturing processes but its quality and content varies from one part of the country to another. Iron and manganese can be an issue in certain areas, while nitrates are often found around farming land. These elements, along with harmful bacteria, can all be removed with the correct treatment and filtration systems.”

Roger Marsh, OBE, Chair of the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership said: "I am very pleased that Excel Water Ltd has benefited from support from the LEP Growth Service and that the business is set to achieve their growth ambitions as a result. I encourage all businesses to pick up the phone and find out about the support available for growing businesses at every stage of their development.”

The LEP Growth Service can be contacted on tel: 0113 348 1818 or by email at: BusinessGrowth@the-lep.com

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The LEP business growth programme offers grants of between £10,000 and £250,000 to support capital investment in new equipment, machinery, premises fit out, refurbishment and expansion. Depending on the size of the company, grant support of between 10% and 20% of total eligible costs is available.