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Case study:

KGD Industrial Services

A thriving engineering company has landed a major new contract and will create 50 new jobs following a £5million investment in Hereford’s Skylon Park.

Tailored plot to suit their needs

Simplified planning process

50 new jobs created

A thriving engineering company has landed a major new contract and will create 50 new jobs following a £5million investment in Hereford’s Skylon Park.

KGD Industrial Services is developing an extra purpose-built facility on a five-acre site at Hereford Enterprise Zone as part of a long-term expansion drive which it says will see its turnover rise to £20m over the next five years.

The company, one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of bespoke over-size fluid handling systems for the global oil and gas industry, says the expansion to the 7,000sq ft site at Skylon Park is already paying dividends.

Managing Director Ken Davies said German industrial giant Westfalia Separator had placed a new contract with the company to manufacture and assemble specialist equipment for its high-tech pharmaceutical division as a result of the new development.

Why Skylon Park?

For Ken Davies the decision to invest in Skylon Park was clear cut.

“Everything we need is already in place at the Enterprise Zone to help us realise our growth ambitions.

“We were able to buy exactly the land we needed, the infrastructure is purpose built, we have excellent road links and the zone’s management is dedicated to making moving onto the park as simple as possible.

“Dealing with the zone has been like a breath of fresh air. Building a new facility here has taken us just 18 months from our first inquiry – half the time it would take elsewhere.

”We have been able to develop a new research and development centre, an assembly, testing, shot-blasting and painting plant, pharmaceutical sector centre and new offices. We’ve also been able to install cranes with a 120 tonne lifting capacity and 12 metres of headroom to allow us to work on heavier systems, a specialist X-ray facility for examining the integrity of welding, a greatly-enlarged shot-blasting facility and reassembly workshop.”

“We were able to buy exactly the land we needed, the zone’s management is dedicated to making moving onto the park as simple as possible.”

Planning made simple

From the moment KGD decided to move its HQ to Skylon Park, the process was made straightforward.

“We knew what we wanted and were able to design our new site specifically to meet our demands knowing that planning approval was already in hand. It was all signed off without any fuss in no time at all. The planning process is focussed on the needs of business and ensuring everything possible is done to encourage growth,” said Ken.

Infrastructure which drives business
“The infrastructure here is designed for modern business. We now have an 11,000 volt electricity supply, superfast broadband, room to expand still further and are part of a business community on the park which nurtures innovation and excellence.

“The new access road which has been built by Herefordshire Council and the enterprise zone is a godsend to us. We need to move very heavy packages – sometimes on 140ft-long low loader lorries – and this has been a real issue for us in the past because of a low bridge.

Inside KGD

“We are already saving several hours every time a lorry leaves the site.”

“But at Skylon Park we are directly next to the access road so the lorries can just roll off our base and be on the motorway in next to no time. We are already saving several hours every time a lorry leaves the site.”

Support when we need it

“Skylon Park has given us a blank canvas to build exactly what we need and the team has done everything possible to help us with our design and build the site as quickly as possible.

“Whenever an issue has cropped up, we have been able to talk it over with the Enterprise Zone team and get it sorted immediately. There have been no unnecessary delays caused by needless bureaucracy and my experience of dealing with the zone could not have been more positive.”

“Skylon Park has given us a blank canvas to build exactly what we need”

Location, location, location

Skylon Park’s prime location at the heart of the Midlands, the economic benefits of being an enterprise zone, and its reputation as a centre of high-tech innovation all matched KGD’s ambitions for its own growth.

“The move to Skylon has undoubtedly enhanced our reputation with our customers and raised our profile. They can see we are in a modern location, surrounded by high-tech innovative companies and in an environment which speaks of business success.

“Everything about our location at Skylon matches and reflects our own commitment to excellence.”

The result

The move to Skylon Park has enabled KGD to create 50 new jobs, target a multi-million boost in turnover and given it room to expand still further over the next few years.

It has landed a big new contract with Westfalia to work on centrifugal equipment for their pharmaceutical division and developed a dedicated pharmaceutical centre as a result. It is also now fully equipped to deliver much bigger projects to its clients across the globe and develop new and growing markets into the bargain.

“The opportunities offered by moving to the enterprise zone have been a crucial factor in expanding the business to meet growing demand for our bespoke equipment which is installed on oil and gas rigs across the globe as well as in specialist plants in the food and pharmaceutical sectors.

“We have expanded consistently since 1982 but that has meant we are being asked to build bigger and bigger packages and we needed more space. We have found exactly the space we need at Skylon and are confident the business will continue to grow and thrive as a result.”

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