Efficiency up 266 per cent – Boston business buys robot after becoming 250th to benefit from multi-million pound grant scheme, with £527,000 still available

Grants4Growth has recently awarded its 250th grant, with a Boston firm being the latest to receive a sum of between £1,000 and £25,000.

The programme – which is managed by South Holland District Council – launched in 2017 and to date has awarded £2.36million towards helping Greater Lincolnshire businesses grow.

It offers grants of up to 28 per cent of the overall cost of capital equipment and machinery.

The 250th recipient of funds was Boston’s Adan Ltd, a manufacturer of low-speed high torque hydraulic orbit motors, reduction gearboxes, brakes and associated products.

The business was awarded £19,880 towards the cost of a machine-loading robot.

The device would not only load and unload equipment faster than a human, but could also work out-of-hours, dramatically increasing the business’s capacity. In addition, it would mean that staff could be re-deployed, increasing productivity elsewhere.

Since purchasing the device, Adan Ltd’s efficiency has increased by 266 per cent. On top of this, it has also reduced costs, allowing the business to offer products and services at a more competitive price in comparison to its national and overseas competitors, and is expected to create a role to handle the increased sales.

Managing director Steve Plaskitt said: “The machine has massively increased our capacity – it’s been an absolute eye-opener!

“Without support from Grants4Growth I never would have discovered the benefits of automation. It’s made our business more competitive and allowed my skilled employees to take on my complex jobs – it’s been a game-changer.”

* There is still £527,000 in funding available through the programme. To find out more, visit https://grants4growth.sholland.gov.uk