News: Hatfield bags funding for growth

Rotherham-based Hatfield Energy has secured an eight figure finance deal to support the firm's fast growth.

The family-owned firm has been based in Rotherham for over 45 years. It has evolved at a fast pace offering bulk commodity supply into heavy industry with an ever-increasing portfolio of secondary and virgin raw materials.

In 1985 Roy Hatfield Ltd moved to Templeborough with a custom manufacturing facility and on site laboratory which is where the company still operates from today. Hatfield Energy can accept and process thousands of tonnes of select bulk materials and industrial wastes. The combined group has four main areas of operation: the metals and minerals division; Hatfield Energy Ltd; gypsum recycling; and industrial and environmental services.

Hatfield Energy is on track to reach its forecast group turnover of over £30m at the end of its financial year in October 2018. Business finance providers, Liquidity Club worked with ABN AMRO Commercial Finance (ABN AMRO), who acted as funders on the deal, and the Asset Based Lending (ABL) facility will support Hatfield Energy's growth strategy which includes further expansion of its portfolio of products and capabilities.

It works by accessing cash held within the debtor book and inventory assets, thereby giving Hatfield Energy access to working capital to support future growth.

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Chris Lambert, finance director at Hatfield Energy (pictured, right), said: "This is an exciting period of growth for Hatfield Energy and we are looking to build further on this success which was highlighted when we were recognised in this year's Fastest 50 Growth awards. The management team have worked hard in recent years to grow the business and have high aspirations for the future as we are set to reach a group turnover of over £30m this year.

"The support provided by Adam Simpson at Liquidity Club has been great. Adam knows the market well and has made my life a lot easier by presenting the appropriate funding package to assist our growth plans."

Adam Simpson, director of Liquidity Club (pictured, centre), said: "Hatfield Energy is a thriving business who have recorded impressive growth and an appetite to build on this success. I am delighted to help one of Yorkshire's fastest growing companies to secure the appropriate funding deal to support their continued growth aspirations.

"The ABL facility will work well to support their strategy because it is linked to assets which means funding can be increased as the business expands."

Austin Thorp, sales director at ABN AMRO Manchester (pictured, left), said: "ABN AMRO is delighted to be able to support Hatfield Energy with its continued growth trajectory - a long established business with a strong management team, which we are confident can deliver its plan. Working in conjunction with the Liquidity Club, Hatfield's funding requirement was clearly identified, and a suitable funding solution provided to meet their growing business needs."

Hatfield Energy website

Images: ABN AMRO

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News: Support programme exceeds all targets

A four year programme to help advanced manufacturing companies across Yorkshire and Humber to grow has beaten all the targets it was set.

The Direct Company Support Scheme was launched in 2011 by the National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC) after it secured substantial backing from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

NAMTEC was established to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of the metals and related engineering industries throughout the UK. They lead on delivering research and technology development, knowledge transfer, and training to companies in the engineering and manufacturing industries. It became part of the University of Sheffield's Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in 2012 and moved across Rotherham from Swinden House to the Advanced Manufacturing Park (AMP).

The scheme was aimed at companies needing help with projects intended to have a high impact on their business in a comparatively short time. Projects spanned the development of new and existing products and processes, the introduction of new materials and factory layouts.

Funding typically ranged from £5,000 to £20,000 and was used to finance assistance by specialist consultants and university researchers.

NAMTEC also used ERDF funding to offer SME advanced manufacturers across Yorkshire and the Humber two days of free support from specialist consultants, worth around £850 and designed to improve their capabilities, help them explore new markets and solve technical issues.

Dr James Hughes, director of NAMTEC, said: "Both schemes have been a major success. We exceeded all the targets we had been set – in some cases three or four times over – and we were able to help companies ensure that key projects went ahead which might otherwise never have happened.

"We were also able to help companies from a wide range of sectors - spanning forging and healthcare, precious metals and powder metallurgy, packaging and steel stockholding."

In all, more than 110 SMEs received help - around 10% on the original target. Around 70 of the companies were from South Yorkshire, around 30% up on target. The initiative led to more than 85 jobs being created and nearly 500 safeguarded – around double the original targets.

Moving from Rotherham to a new £5m facility at Ecclesfield in Sheffield, international oil and gas drilling industry supplier, Cutting & Wear decided to seek ways of boosting performance and making the most of opportunities in new markets. The scheme paid for advice from Director Resources and the firm upgraded its Enterprise Resource Planning software and introduced 5S workplace organisation principles and Lean workshops, helping it to significantly increase its engineering efficiency and its record for fulfilling orders and enabling it to achieve worldclass performance standards.

Through the AEM Innovation Network, NAMTEC investigated market access opportunities for Rotherham-based company Roy Hatfield Ltd to reprocess waste containing fine metal particulates. It led to a partnership with AMP-based Fluid Maintenance Solutions, who have developed a proprietary process for separating fine metal particulates from liquid-based wastes which are a by-product of manufacturing processes such as grinding and pickling. This sort of waste is notoriously difficult to process, with the only solution often being expensive and environmentally unfavourable landfill.

The process offers an attractive alternative, generating dry briquettes of metal particulates which can be remelted. NAMTEC helped to identify potential customers and recommend market entry strategies for the recycling firm that won a Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2014.

Mark Hatfield, director at Roy Hatfield Ltd, said: "The project carried out by NAMTEC has allowed us access to essential market knowledge which would otherwise not have been able to obtain. This market knowledge combined with a vast knowledge of the technical aspect of the metal industry has resulted in a highly focused and compendious report which will be instrumental in progressing that aspect of our business."

NAMTEC website

Images: NAMTEC

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News: Hatfield on top at Chamber awards

Rotherham manufacturing and recycling company, Roy Hatfield Limited took the top prize at this year's Barnsley and Rotherham Business Awards event, a follow up to being awarded the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise earlier in the year.

The company triumphed over the competition and walked away with the RBS Business of the Year trophy in front a record number of guests (close to 600) at the Barnsley Metrodome.

The achievement followed the company's earlier success in the Wosskow Brown Solicitors Business Growth Award. Company directors, Grant and Mark Hatfield said: "It really is an honour to be recognised by our local chamber during these awards. We are extremely proud to have won the "Business Growth" category and the "Business of the Year Award" which was truly the icing on the cake for what has been an exciting, but challenging few years during the company's development.

"We are fortunate enough to be surrounded by a dedicated and hardworking team at Roy Hatfield Ltd and these awards are testament to their efforts."

Roy Hatfield Ltd was formed in 1971 when the founder Roy Hatfield recognised a demand in the market place for quality and consistent alternative raw materials destined for the concrete industry. The firm grew to become the UK's first and largest manufacturer of decorative and industrial concrete finishing products.

In 1985 the firm moved to Templeborough with a custom manufacturing facility and on site laboratory which is where the company still operates from today.

Anticipating legislation banning gypsum-based waste streams from landfills, the company developed methods for stripping the substance from ceramics and plasterboard. Following continual investment and expansion, the Rotherham site processes 50,000 tonnes of waste plasterboard per annum. More shifts have begun and plans have been submitted for further expansion.

Other Rotherham firms successful on the night included wheeled-bin manufacturer, MGB Plastics in the manufacturing category; S3 ID, the provider of cutting edge location awareness solutions in the innovation category; and colourful town centre gift shop, Patchwork Pig in the retail category. Remember the Date, the online card enterprise started by former Aston Comprehensive student, Lauren Nicholson was recognised as the most promising new business.

This year's ceremony, hosted by former international referee Howard Webb, was held for the first time in Barnsley at the Metrodome and the change of venue was well received with the event being declared a sell out with three weeks still to go.

Andrew Denniff, chief executive at Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, said: "What a fantastic evening, one that has exceeded all our expectations. My congratulations go to all our winners and especially everyone at Roy Hatfield's, the Business of the Year.

"Holding the evening in Barnsley has certainly set the bar for our future events and has given us a real challenge, one I am sure the Chamber will rise to next year."

This year also saw the Chamber present their first Charity of the Year award, which was awarded to The Pippa Jones Little Treasure Trust who received £3,000 in prize money.

A full list of results is as follows:

The Solar Europa Most Promising New Business Award

Winner - Remember the Date
Highly Commended - Themesparx Ltd
Highly Commended - Vertex Rope Access Ltd

The Wosskow Brown Solicitors Business Growth Award

Winner - Roy Hatfield Ltd
Highly Commended - Cornerstones Education
Highly Commended - Pollywiggles Day Nursery

The NPS Barnsley Business Community Impact Award

Winner - One Barnsley Apprenticeship Pledge
Highly Commended - LASER Credit Union
Highly Commended - Wosskow Brown Solicitors

The Brook Corporate Developments Excellence in Manufacturing Award

Winner - MGB Plastics
Highly Commended - Specialised Laser Products
Highly Commended - Wintwire Ltd

The Sheffield Hallam University Design & Innovation Award

Winner - Osborne Technologies Ltd
Highly Commended - Merlin Software
Highly Commended - S3 ID

The Gala Tent Business Person of the Year Award

Winner - Lynne Darwin – Building Product Solutions
Highly Commended - Katie Buckle – Provide Education
Highly Commended - Nigel Short – VOOT

The ASD Lighting/Rotherham United Excellence in International Trade Award

Winner - S3 ID
Highly Commended - D A Cooper & Sons
Highly Commended - Merlin Software

The Source Skills Academy Outstanding Retailer of the Year

Winner - Patchwork Pig
Highly Commended - Fresh n Chic Boutique
Highly Commended - Sara's Flowers and Teas

The Rotherham College Digital & Creativity in Business Award

Winner - DEB Chartered Accountants
Highly Commended - Berneslai Homes
Highly Commended - Bigfoot Digital

The Barnsley College Apprentice of the Year Award

Winner - Tom Matthews – Tata Steel Speciality Steels
Highly Commended - Elliott Mann – ITS Group
Highly Commended - Elspeth Jones - Harris+Co

Chamber website

Images: Barnsley & Rotherham Chamber

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News: Roy Hatfield Ltd wins Queen's Award for Enterprise

Roy Hatfield Ltd, a Rotherham-based recycling company, has won a Queen's Award for Enterprise 2014, the most prestigious accolades for businesses in the United Kingdom.

The corporate awards recognise outstanding achievements by UK companies in three categories: International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development. Roy Hatfield Ltd has won the award for innovation for creating a process for recycling waste gypsum.

Roy Hatfield Ltd was formed in 1971 when the founder Roy Hatfield recognised a demand in the market place for quality and consistent alternative raw materials destined for the concrete industry. The firm grew to become the UK's first and largest manufacturer of decorative and industrial concrete finishing products.

In 1985 the firm moved to Templeborough with a custom manufacturing facility and on site laboratory which is where the company still operates from today.

Anticipating legislation banning gypsum-based waste streams from landfills, the company developed methods for stripping the substance from ceramics and plasterboard.

Plasterboard is made of a gypsum plaster core with a paper facing. Approximately 270 million sq m of product are produced, distributed and used annually in the UK and its use in the construction industry creates a lot of waste through off-cuts and dismantling.

Having researched the market for recycled gypsum, Roy Hatfield established a bespoke facility and created a partnership with a British waste management firm in 2005. Following continual investment and expansion, the Rotherham site processes 50,000 tonnes of waste plasterboard per annum.

The Hatfield process enables organisations to comply with Environmental Agency regulations without incurring the significant expense of using specialist landfill sites and delivers considerable savings to customers, who can buy recycled gypsum at reduced prices. Importantly, it avoids toxic hydrogen sulphide gas from gypsum contaminating bio-degradable waste in landfill sites.

The recycled gypsum is used as a direct replacement for primary or secondary gypsum and can be used to create new plasterboard, in cement manufacture and agriculture. Hatfield uses it to replace talc as a colouring product for its own forms of decorative and industrial coloured concrete. It has been used sympathetically in the 250 year old grade I listed garden at Alnwick Castle and to create the distinctive blue walkways and balconies at the Selfridges store at Birmingham Bull Ring.

Grant Hatfield, director at Roy Hatfield Ltd, said: "We are extremely proud to have been awarded the Queens Award for Enterprise in Innovation. The award acknowledges our dedicated team at Roy Hatfield Ltd — it is because of their efforts we were able to develop such a intricate recycling process on a large, commercially viable scale."

The recycling plant has processed over 300,000 tonnes of waste gypsum to date and the award coincides with the introduction of a third shift allowing 24/7 running of the plant. This new shift will see production ramp up to 1,300 tonnes per week with the company stating that further plans for expansion are still on the cards in the near future.

Roy Hatfield Ltd website

Images: Roy Hatfield Ltd

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News: Rotherham recycler expands thanks to R&D grant

Roy Hatfield, a Rotherham-based recycling company has seen significant growth thanks to a £200,000 research and development grant from Yorkshire Forward.




The Templeborough company specialises in recycling "difficult" waste from the steel, ceramics, power and building industries and wanted to expand, but in a way that didn't eat into its cash flow or incur too much risk.

So it applied for an R&D grant to further develop and modify an innovative plasterboard recovery plant it had established six years earlier.

Roy Hatfield won £200,000 of development funding in April 2006, payable in quarterly instalments of £20,000 over two-and-a-half years.

Managing director of Roy Hatfield Tony Cross said: "Not only have we increased the tonnage of waste we recycle, but in some areas we have also increased the quality - and therefore the value - of the recycled products.

"We are now probably the largest processor of gypsum waste in Europe. Without Yorkshire Forward's involvement we could never have achieved that."

"We have created jobs and wealth, and the R&D grant has stood us in very good stead to withstand the downturn."

Assistant director of business - enterprise and access to finance at Yorkshire Forward, Alex McWhirter said: "Instead of battening down the hatches and switching into survival mode, companies in the region are looking to step up their R&D activity.

"That should help them design and bring to market new products and processes that will help put them on a sound footing when they emerge from the recession, and help to future-proof their organisations."

Roy Hatfield website
Yorkshire Forward website
Rotherham

Images: royhatfield.com

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News: Funding boost for Rotherham recycling facility

Roy Hatfield Ltd, the industrial waste recycling firm of Rotherham, have been awarded £65,000 of funding from the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to increase their plasterboard recycling operation. The funding has enabled the company to make a series of improvements and additions to its facilities and introduce two significant new pieces of reprocessing equipment. This will enable the major facility to process an additional 85,000 metric tons of waste plasterboard over the next five years. Mark Hatfield of Roy Hatfield Ltd, said: "As far as we are aware our plant is now the largest independent plasterboard recycling facility in the UK."
Roy Hatfield Ltd website
Recycling Today article
Let's Recycle article
Rotherham

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