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Saftronics has designs on water firms' orders
A manufacturer of process control systems is gearing up for further growth after winning a bumper £4.5m order from the water industry.
Software designers and engineers at Saftronics, in Leeds, are working on the order from Severn Trent Water for its Minworth waste water treatment plant near Sutton Coldfield. Its systems enable automated control of delivery of water and power to millions of homes, increasing efficiency and cutting costs.
Saftronics recently invested 75,000 in production at its company's Pearson Street factory in Hunslet, where it employs 130.
The firm said the investment, which was funded from within the business, has yielded "significant" efficiency improvements.
Saftronics, which was bought by management in 2001, is led by managing director Geoff Puckett and commercial director Alan Rayner. It supplies process control equipment to the utility industries – principally water – which is governed by five-year purchasing cycles.
The firm employs 30 programmers who design and maintain increasingly sophisticated control systems. The systems, which range in size from desk-top to 30m long, can be controlled on-site or remotely via computers and mobile phones. Mr Puckett said: "We've coped successfully with the water industry's drive for lower prices by increasing efficiency and improving customer service."
Saftronics is also diversifying into the oil and gas industries. One unnamed US generator manufacturer has placed repeat orders for the firm's motor control centres. Saftronics said the order caps a year of growth. It has also invested in re-branding and marketing. Policy director at Leeds Chamber of Commerce Ian Williams said: "For modern manufacturing, price inflation isn't an option; in fact, quite the reverse. Savings have to be found through efficiencies in the production and manufacture and a process of continuous improvement is central to survival.
"There's a lot that businesses in other sectors can learn from manufacturing companies like Saftronics."
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